Compiled from on-the-scene reports by Alexander Kiev, News-Front.info correspondent
February 6: By agreement of top officials this morning, a humanitarian corridor was to be created to evacuate villagers from Chernukhin, in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LC), 2km from Debaltseve.
However, as soon as the Lugansk Ministry of Emergency Situations column went into the village, the Ukrainian military, National Guard Aydar Battalion [Fascists] and Chechen mercenaries opened fire on the buses sent to aid the evacuation.
As a result, three local residents were wounded. Russian television journalists from “Russia 24” also came under attack. Fortunately, they were not injured.
According to the LC, 137 people have been evacuated so far. Because of the shelling, the buses cannot get to the village, so the residents have to run to the line which is fully controlled by the people’s militia. The evacuation will continue until the evening, as well as tomorrow, until all the inhabitants are out.
A militia member said: “The battles are daily; the situation is changing in many ways. When people were evacuated, apparently, we were attacked by enemy DRGs, but we worked well and evacuated people. If possible, we’ll try to bring them all.”
Chernukhin residents described a hellish situation over the past two weeks.
As the Debaltsevo cauldron took shape, retreating Ukrainian troops drove villagers into their homes and schools. They were not allowed to leave. Units of the Aydar Battalion and mercenaries carried out atrocities. Men were tied to stakes and left in the open while shells rained down. Water supplies were poisoned with gasoline. Vehicles were seized and all roads were mined..
A resident of Poltava region spoke about how her family tried to survive in Chernukhin: “There was constant shelling, many are wounded and dead. Twenty or thirty people sit in the basement, it was impossible to go out.
“More than half of houses destroyed,” said the woman. Corpses lay in the streets. The Ukrainian side does not provide a corridor. People are not even allowed to approach Ukrainian roadblocks. In addition, all the roads are mined.”
“The National Guard shoots on ordinary people in their homes,” said another evacuee. “For two weeks we were kept in homes and not released, mocked, not allowed to draw water. Then they left and started to run. And now they shoot at us.”
Compiled and translated by Greg Butterfield
Red Star News + Translations 