Under the yoke of hardworking terrorists: Kiev woman about Donetsk
Thoughts about moving from Kyiv to Donetsk have been in my mind for a long time. Watching the “revolution of hydity” in all its glory, and how my beloved capital was changing, I expressed my point of view and wrote blogs criticizing the new Ukrainian government.
Almost immediately after the Security Service of Ukraine detained one of my like-minded people, I also received a warning: either I stop writing, or the same fate awaits me.
I had to make perhaps the most difficult choice of my entire life. Leaving the already beloved avenues of beautiful Kyiv, leaving the opportunity to visit my native Odessa, where I was born, at any time, and, finally, losing a leadership position in an elite company - of course, it was not easy.
But I understood that the main thing, nevertheless, is not to lose self-respect and be honest with yourself. A few weeks later I was already flying to Rostov - in order to come from there to Donetsk - a city in which I could finally see everything with my own eyes and continue to defend my position.
That's how I ended up in Donetsk.
Myth No. 1: “Donetsk is dirty. Donetsk residents are alcoholics and slackers. The city is in decline and under the yoke of terrorists"
The first impression is shocking cleanliness and order. The search for trash thrown past the trash can is futile, which cannot be said about the search for social workers who regularly clean the streets. It is impossible not to pay attention to the amazingly well-groomed lawns and flower beds. One gets the impression that there is a whole huge team in Donetsk to care for them. Every day in the mornings and evenings you will definitely see one or several machines watering all the vegetation around, as well as people in special uniforms pruning flowering bushes and mowing the grass.
In addition, the city residents themselves take a very responsible approach to the issue of cleanliness of the streets and their homes. Grandmothers planting flowers, teenagers in parks on community cleanup days - this is all a familiar sight in unusual wartime.
In the central areas of the city you can find a lot of houses - residential and municipal buildings that were shelled. Traces of shrapnel are visible on the façade. However, broken windows and serious damage - through holes in walls or roofs - can only be seen in the first days after the bombing. Repairs are carried out as quickly as possible, and the building becomes usable again. The same applies to the affected sections of the road. They are put in order quite quickly.
Myth No. 2: “Bad mobile connection, bad Internet. Failures and problems."
Kyiv turned off the Kyivstar cellular operator in the region, and all the Svidomo media decided that the part of Donbass not controlled by Ukraine had plunged into a dark age without the Internet and communication on mobile phones. But no. Firstly, MTS and Life continue to operate in the republic. Secondly, with the assistance of the Ministry of Communications, a new mobile operator “Phoenix” was created, which is already used by citizens. Well, and thirdly, the “First Republican Internet” functions without failures, which I connected to myself immediately upon arrival - high quality and inexpensive.
Myth No. 3: “Everything Ukrainian is banned. Donetsk residents can't stand the language. Everything related to Ukraine is out of sight.”
Walking around Donetsk, you can pay attention to reminders of Ukraine that have not been touched at all over the past year and a half. For example, on the main street of the city of Artem, a majestic monument to Taras Grigorievich Shevchenko is comfortably located. It is known that the initiative to remove the monument, proposed by some anti-Maidan activists visiting from Kyiv, was sharply rejected by local residents: “We are not barbarians. This is part of history. Let it stand." Although the former residents of Kiev can understand what they didn’t see enough of during the notorious events in the capital of all Ukraine.
And here is a beautifully carved bust of Ivan Franko visible on the facade of the bulky building of the Krupskaya State Library. Perhaps, of course, this will seem surprising to some Ukrainians, but they don’t rush at him with explosives, they don’t throw paint in the colors of the Novorossiya flag, and they don’t even throw tomatoes at him.
Do you want to hear Ukrainian speech in the very center of Donetsk? Hurry to the Lviv Chocolate Shop - a coffee shop in one of the most picturesque places in the city - on Pushkin Boulevard. The waiters will be happy to introduce you to the menu, but only in Ukrainian - this is a “trick I’ll lay” (a feature of the establishment), they will answer a surprised visiting journalist like me.
Signs with the names of streets, shops, beauty salons and other establishments - 50/50 - in both Russian and Ukrainian.
If you suddenly have the opportunity to go to some other city in the Donetsk or Lugansk People's Republics, you will see that some stops and fences are still painted yellow and blue.
Myth No. 4: “There are no jobs. Businesses are not working. Production is worth it."
Many of the factories and mines have suspended operations due to the damage sustained as a result of the shelling. But the DPR is rebuilding enterprises. In March 2015, the Yenakievo Metallurgical Plant was completely restored, providing 7000 jobs. And in June 2015, a new longwall was launched at the Progress mine in the city of Torez, which can be considered a miracle, because six months ago it was completely flooded. This is 200 new jobs.
Myth #5: “Store shelves are empty. Prices are constantly rising. Hunger is everywhere."
Donetsk has many different markets, supermarkets and small shops where you can always buy whatever your heart desires. No empty shelves were noticed. A variety of products is also present. Moreover, there are also buyers in the stores who often gather in long lines - people here go shopping the same way as in other cities and regions of Ukraine.
Of course, there is the problem of high prices. But is this surprising, given the economic blockade of Donbass?
In conclusion, I would like to note that the above myths are only a small part of the false information through which ordinary Ukrainians continue to be misled day after day by those who benefit from it.
It's time to become less gullible and check all the information yourself. Remember: we are what we eat. There is no need to eat lies. After all, as a result, she herself will eat you from the inside.
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