The Last Link Of Luhansk
- By Andriy Dubchak and
- Anastasia Magazova
Crossing through the only corridor that remains open for people in Ukraine's Luhansk region to navigate the so-called line of contact.
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The approach to the checkpoint at Stanytsia Luhanska, on the edge of Kyiv-held territory in the Luhansk region. Fighting in the area continues between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it began in 2014.
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The majority of those making the crossing are retirees from separatist-held territory coming to collect their pensions from Ukraine's central government.
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Near a checkpoint controlled by the Ukrainian military, a bank machine (right) is in regular use and is refilled with cash each day.
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A woman having her passport checked by a Ukrainian official.
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Ukrainian soldiers search belongings before people can begin the long march to separatist-held territory.
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Boxes being weighed on a frosty set of scales. At 74.2 kilograms, this man's load falls just within the 75 kilograms each person is allowed to cross with.
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Once the checks are complete, the journey through no-man's land begins. Separatist checkpoints lie nearly 5 kilometers away.
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For the mostly elderly people who make the crossing, it's an arduous journey. Around four out of five of those who make the crossing are pensioners.
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For the frail and disabled, the trip is impossible without enlisting relatives or hiring porters to help.
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An elderly woman being pushed on her winter-modified wheelchair.
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On either side of the pedestrian corridor, land mines lurk beneath the fresh snow.
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Nina Nikolayevna works as a porter, dragging goods between the warring sides. The 79-year-old earns 200-400 hryvnyas ($7-14) per trip, but only one one crossing with cargo is allowed per day.
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Nikolayevna at work, pushing a load of fruits and vegetables through slushy snow toward separatist-held territory. Such fresh items are significantly more expensive in the separatist region.
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A young family heading toward separatist-held territory.
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Signs of the heavy fighting that tore the area apart, particularly in the early days of the war, remain alongside the roadway.
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A last Ukrainian flag marks the edge of territory safe for RFE/RL's correspondents. In the empty houses on the hill, snipers often set up after the "border" closes at 5 p.m. A Ukrainian soldier was wounded by a sniper firing from this hill around one week before RFE/RL visited.
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The farthest point our photographer walks before returning to government-held territory. A little farther on is a bridge that was destroyed by separatist forces in 2015. There appears to be little political will on either side to fix or replace the bridge.
