Residents of Gorlovka and Mariupol spoke about their evacuation

Civilians who evacuated from Mariupol and Gorlovka and arrived in Taganrog on Tuesday, March 8, told “Izvestia, how they managed to rescue them.

“The longest distance for me was the distance from Mariupol to the checkpoint. From there we were already transported by cars to one boarding house, then to another. All of this was a run. It was not just a road between destinations. The military literally covered us from bullets. Previously, I only saw this in films, ”shared Anastasia, who was helped out by the military of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

She also noted that real fighting is currently taking place in Mariupol.

“There – the house is on fire, there – a mine whistles overhead. I’m with bags, with children. They said bend over. I just don’t remember how we got to the checkpoint. I can’t say how long the journey took. Seems like it’s been an eternity. Everything was emotional. Only yesterday we more or less felt that we could calm down a little, ”the woman explained.

At the same time, the woman is worried that there may be nothing left of her apartment in Mariupol, although she and her family hope to return home after the end of the special operation to protect Donbass. As Anastasia explained, her father remained in the city. She also said that with a message about the organization of humanitarian corridors to her parents, the DPR military came to the private sector, where she was with her children at that time. The woman added that local residents know practically nothing about the organization of corridors.

“People don’t know where to run, we can’t go out into the yard, snipers are shooting at us. And how can we hear about the green corridor? There is no Internet, there is nothing,” she stressed, noting that her father and relatives remained in Mariupol, with whom there is no connection.

In turn, residents of Gorlovka indicated that they were given a day or two to pack. Literally immediately after they got on the bus, shelling began.

“Serious hostilities are underway in Gorlovka. We were evacuated from there about 600 people. The organization of the evacuation was very good. As soon as they got on the bus, they started shooting. So we were lucky that we got on the bus,” they recall.

With the Russian special operation to protect the Donbass, which they have been waiting for eight years, the citizens of Gorlovka connect their hope for peace and the opportunity to lead an ordinary normal life.

Another resident of Gorlovka, a mother of four children named Alena, called strong fear the reason for her evacuation to the Russian Federation.

“When there were shellings in 2014-2015, we didn’t leave anywhere. And this time we decided not to risk the children to leave. We hope that all this will be resolved soon. These subhumans will be driven away from Gorlovka. I already really want to go home, ”said the mother of many children.

As Marina, a volunteer from Taganrog, who helps evacuated citizens, shared, the most difficult thing in this work is the moral side of the issue. According to her, she has to deal with different stories that can bring tears to her eyes. However, the volunteer tries to hold on.

“It’s morally difficult, because it’s really hard for people. They come in such a state, and everyone needs to find the right word, turn their shoulder, ”Marina explained.

Volunteers meet buses with evacuated people, help them carry things, get to the right place, watch the children so that they do not get lost.

The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including from heavy weapons, was reported. The republics announced a general mobilization, the evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia, and also asked to recognize their independence. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing their sovereignty.

On February 24, the President of Russia announced an operation to protect the civilian population in the Donbass. It pursues several goals – the protection of the civilian population of the DPR and LPR, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. According to the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov, the last two aspects pose a threat to the Russian state and people.

For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.