Battle for Ukraine: An Inside View of the Surreal Donetsk War Zone

[unhappycamper]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/the-battle-for-donetsk-reveals-a-resigned-populace-a-986928.html



As the Ukrainian army closes in on Donetsk, shelling in the metropolis has become much more frequent -- and deadly. Many residents have left, but those who remain seem unsure what to make of the conflict. Resignation is widespread.

Battle for Ukraine: An Inside View of the Surreal Donetsk War Zone
By Christian Neef in Donetsk
August 19, 2014 – 06:19 PM

It is a thin veneer that separates guests of the Donetsk Park Hotel from the surreal world outside. Inside, we watch BBC in English and ZDF broadcasting news in German. The hotel has electricity and Internet while air conditioning keeps out the summer heat.

OSCE observers sit at the bar drinking Lvivske, a dark Ukrainian beer, for €2.50 ($3.3) a pint, a price that is outrageous for Donetsk. Their shiny white Toyota SUVs are lined up outside, waiting to drive them through the warzone during those moments when it's not too dangerous.

This Thursday is not one of those moments. Shortly before 1 p.m., a salvo of grenades rains down. One's ear quickly gets used to the sounds of war, rapidly learning to halfway reliably tell them apart. This time, though, the detonations are unbelievably loud and very close. Only three minutes after leaving the hotel, I arrive in the midst of misery in this embattled city of Donetsk.

Since this spring, when the war in eastern Ukraine began, I have been a regular visitor to Donetsk. I remember when the clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian troops loyal to Kiev began in Sloviansk, 120 kilometers (75 miles) from here, in April. Three people died in the initial fighting, and I went to their funerals. Then I returned to Donetsk and thought: The militant hate will never reach this booming city.