Life resumes his course at Debaltseve

In a corner of Lenin Square in Debaltseve city in eastern Ukraine recently taken over by pro-russian separatists, the town hall plastered its ads on A4 sheets. There is a decree banning alcohol on pain of being sentenced to 15 days of community service. And a call for volunteers. "Citizens, join the volunteers who came here to rebuild the city", it's written.


Devastated by months of bombing, Debaltseve trying to rebuild, and his inhabitants to survive without water or electricity, ten days after the withdrawal of ukrainian troops.
Dressed in military fatigues, like all rebels in the city, Sergei, 14, responded to the call for volunteers. He sweeps the rubble in one corner of the square. "It helps to restore some order, anyway my school is destroyed", he said. As a reward for his work, he'll get canned meat, sardines and some biscuits. Not far from him, under a fir Lenin Square, elderly people are queuing in a black, sticky mud to a cup of hot tea. Cook pasta in over a small fire pot. Residents gather around a multiple outlet on a military truck to charge their mobile phones. "It's far from home but it's the only place where you can recharge the phones", said Oleg Zaytsev, a driver of 53 years. "Through these outlets, I could call my family there three days. They didn't have my news since one month, they were very happy to know me alive", he said while a light snow falls on the city. The family of Oleg lives in Russia, in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. He said, referring to the ukrainian forces: "The nazis stole my bus so I can't work".
At his side, Vladimir Markachouti trying to warm up with a cup of tea. "They destroyed my house, I'm homeless", he said, accusing Kiev forces have fired artillery on the city at the time to retreat. "Nobody wants war, either on this side or the other", he said. "My father is russian, my mother is ukrainian, against which I make war, me ?" Asks Vladimir as if to emphasize the futility of this conflict.
Lidia Bikanova, 77, again from the distribution of a portion of pasta with a jar for her and for his neighboors. "Their house is destroyed and they can not move", she said before bursting into tears. "Thank you, thank you for your help", she repeated, wiping her tears. "It's hard but we have courage, thank you, thank you".
Like every day, the commander of the Enakieve region, Alexander Afendikov named "mayor" acting of Debaltseve by separatists, just give orders in the middle of volunteers and the Ministry of Emergency Situations officials. "Today we reopen a home for troubled mothers. We're repairing the hospital windows. We removed all mines. We distribute 600 breads a day. And the electricity will come back in the central district on wednesday", he list. "Almost 95% Debaltseve's people work for the railways. Since they don't work at the moment, they're asked to help us to rebuild", said the one everyone calls "the Greek", due to his origins.
A man walks with in his hands a round bread that was given to the distribution organized in an abandoned supermarket. "We put the order in the city, we repair the houses and shops open again", he said. "Poroshenko said Debaltseve had been wiped off the map, but it's not true. It's a drunk. Here all the people went out into the street and they work", he says.

Source : LADEPECHE