The devastating bridge along the Donets is a symbol of divided eastern Ukraine. The war may be over, but peace has not yet begun. The main part of the bridge collapsed, making it possible to walk on foot with the help of two wooden stairs. Thousands of people struggle, every day, and retirees come first. Patients and the disabled are transported, as are strollers, bags filled with peaches and apples. It is the only cross-border crossing that divides families, friendships and business partnerships.
North of the Donets River, the national flag, blue and yellow, flies to Ukraine, indicating that the territory is under the control of Kiev. South of the river and on the bridge itself, three Russian colors can be seen, with a light blue bar instead of white. It is the flag of the self-proclaimed "Luansk People's Republic", which separated from Ukraine with the help of Russia. It is an unrecognized entity legally belonging to Ukraine, but a de facto annex to Russia, with a population of 1.5 million. Western journalists are rarely allowed access. The criteria used by the Ministry of Communications of the People's Republic to grant permits are unclear. But such permits seem to exist.
The journey across the republic begins from Stansia Luanska, which has played a new role as a frontier city and a transhipment center. There are a lot of activities and kiosks, in addition to the savings bank frequented by retirees. At the checkpoint on the Ukrainian side, armed customs officials check each bag. Officials work on donated laptops that have not been shown on American flags.
Great resistance
Ukraine withdrew from this broad strip in the summer, as part of a plan to separate the troops house, which was negotiated between the two sides. Separation of forces has been one of the very few important steps forward since the Minsk Protocol in February 2015. This agreement confirmed the ceasefire and formalized the front lines between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels. However, the skirmishes continued. In fact, Stantsia Luanska is the only place along the 400-kilometer front that separates Ukraine from the separatists. Undoing the territory for which the soldiers sacrificed their blood requires a great deal of political courage. Ukraine's newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelinsky, has shown enthusiasm for peace. It is brave but the resistance is great.
Anything like a concession to Moscow is enough to provoke protests in Kiev. The situation is similar when it comes to the "Steinmeier formula," which Zilinsky agreed to. The formula was a diplomatic compromise named after Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was Germany's foreign minister when the Minsk protocol was concluded, and is now Germany's president. The formula specifies when and how Kiev will allow separatist regions a special status within the territory of the Ukrainian state. Such a situation is provided for in the Minsk Convention, but is not widely supported in Kiev, and therefore this leads to protests.
The breakaway checkpoint at the south end of the bridge is nothing more than a trailer. A young man wearing a training suit examines passports and journalists' identities. Visitors must fill out a form from the Ministry of State Security, including information about the visitor, including religious affiliation, and the hotel where he or she resides. Hills, to end into the city.
Temporary burial
Luhansk was not an attractive city at all. It is located in the Donbas coal mine area, always the youngest and poorest sister of Donetsk. But now the city is also empty, the train station is as quiet as the museum, and there are only two transport links, one towards Donetsk and the other ferry to the inner mountains. Centrally located with 19 floors, the Hotel Luansk has a small number of guests. There is no café but bullet holes in the windows.
Luansk suffered heavily during the fighting. In the summer of 2014, the Ukrainian army fired heavy artillery at the city. There was no water for a while, and some of the dead were temporarily buried in the front yards of the houses because of the heat, and many of the victims were later taken to the outskirts of the city, where a small memorial displays their names.
The Government of the People's Republic is located in the former regional administration building. Taking pictures is strictly prohibited. Even the press credit card, signed by the Minister of Communications, does not provide access to senior officials.
But Gleb Poprov is happy to speak, a huge man with a beard and small eyes. He is the president of the Writers' Union, the most prominent thinker among the local rebels. More than a decade ago, long before the war began, he predicted in a harsh tone that civil war would be fought in eastern Ukraine. “I correctly predicted about 70% of what happened, to the front-line position and the Minsk negotiations,” he says proudly.
A failed plan
Like most separatists, Poprov did not want a small, independent state in Lansk, which is why he strongly rejects the term "separatist." He says he wants to "return to Russia," and this is the "national idea behind the People's Republic." Unfortunately, the plan did not work as it did in Crimea.
For Poprov, the Ukrainian state is a meaningless remnant after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, supported by a corrupt elite, a socialist nationalist ideology and brutal repression.
After our discussion, Poprov invites us to the Russian theater in the city to attend the premiere. For the first time, a work on the war is presented, an exciting reading of the poetry of war. It turned out to be surprisingly free of ideologies, free of the usual uprisings that all government forces considered fascists.
Alexei Kariakin, born in 1980, is one of the fathers of the People's Republic of Luansk, and was the first speaker of its parliament, although there are no political parties in parliament. There are only "movements", one of which is called "Freedom for Lansk" and the other is called the "Economic Union".
Quiet attitude
The People's Republic is run by mafia methods. One of Luhansk's "prime ministers" appears to have been tortured to death in prison, while several military commanders died in deliberate attacks. He also had to flee the city for some time.
The situation has calmed considerably since the coup of 2017, and in addition what is happening in Luansk is ultimately determined by the Kremlin curators anyway. Karyakin is now president of the “General Chamber of the Luansk People's Republic,” a largely honorary post. The picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin hangs on the wall above his desk.
Dream of belonging to Russia
The Minsk Protocol, to which the separatists are committed, calls for the reintegration of their territory in Ukraine, with some special privileges. Isn't this the end of their dream of belonging to Russia? “No,” says Alexei Kariakin. They will then have a special status inside Ukraine, just like Crimea before 2014. After that, people can decide what they want in the referendum. Kariakin has no doubt that the people of Lansk will decide for Russia.
This is exactly the interpretation of the Minsk protocol that officials fear in Kiev: a special situation as a starting point for the final separation, it is no wonder that Kiev is concerned about the implementation of the Minsk Agreement.
Thus, the confrontation continues, the government in Kiev wants to regain control of the lost territory, which means first and foremost control of the border with Russia. Moscow, meanwhile, does not want to give up its control, insisting on the opposite approach. A special status should be created for the area, including its own security forces. Only then could the border be restored to Ukraine.
It is difficult to know what the people of Luansk think, they are cautious and uncertain.There are still those who want to be part of Ukraine, or at least find it better to be citizens of a fake republic with 17 ministries, but no ATMs. A place where there are no free elections, no job opportunities, no clear future, and with you you avoid speaking out loud.
The younger ones leave Luansk, some to Russia and some to Ukraine. A married couple who did not share the pro-Russian enthusiasm many felt at the time: “In 2014, many friends disagreed. The euphoria has since vanished, which makes things easier for us, but now everyone avoids going into politics altogether. "Basically we're waiting, but we don't know what to wait."
They say they would have left for a long time if we could sell their apartment in Luansk. At the same time, it is painful for many in Ukraine to see them as traitors just for their survival.
Joining the Russian Federation is the dream of many separatists. Archival
• The government in Kiev wants to regain control of lost territory, which means first and foremost control of the border with Russia.
Few advantages
The Ukrainian state, too, does not make things easier for those who do not live outside its control. In order to receive their pensions, retirees in Lansk must show a permanent address in government-controlled territory and then register there as internally displaced persons. The measure was originally intended to be a kind of economic sanctions against separatists. But he is forcing retirees in Lansk to make their way across the destroyed bridge every eight weeks or so to personally verify their homeless status and prove they are still alive.
At the equivalent of about 110 euros a month, pensions in Ukraine are low, but still much higher than the financial support (40 euros) received by pensioners in the "People's Republic". Many people get both pensions, which is one of the few benefits they enjoy compared to retirees in government-controlled territory, in addition to subsidized gas prices.
With regard to the Ukrainian government, the institutions of the People's Republic do not exist, which means that there is no contact with them at all. The only channel through which representatives of the separatists and Kiev communicate is the tripartite contact group, a forum established to implement the Minsk Protocol. The trilateral term refers to the three members of the group: Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Kiev contributed to the worsening of the difficult situation in Luansk. Archival