Donbass, the XXIst Century Somme

After the Maidan rebellion a year ago, Ukraine is at the moment split in two parts. On one side, there is the Kiev Government and on the other the pro-Russia separatists. The main victim of this major conflict are the civilians: the thousands of people that had to witness the unfolding of the Ukrainian crisis without bearing any real responsibility. Some of this people have run away to avoid the mounting violence of the war, others have decided to stay because they didn’t have any other alternatives. Others still have joined the army or the militias.
Everything seemed to have crumbled: from the personal relationships amongst individual to their belongings, and with them the economy of an entire nation. Everything is fragile in Ukraine at the moment. The present has been crushed by the war and the future doesn’t exist because of the war. What people have in front of them is fragile; what they expect from the future is fragile; the truce that came out from the Minsk agreement is fragile. There is no shred of normality left. Ukraine is a modern country that has become a war zone. The conflict amongst like peoples has transformed peaceful neighborhoods into refugee camps made out of rubble. Nowadays it is common to see hundreds of arms raised, desperately grabbing at food that is thrown from the humanitarian trucks. Packs of stray dogs roaming deserted streets is not an unusual sight. Ukraine is a huge tragedy and it sounds a big alarm bell for everyone who wants to believe that peace, wealth and brotherhood can last forever. Fragile is the path that takes people there .