The people in the mining region of Dunbas in eastern Ukraine are growing weary of the promises made by pro-Russian separatists who control the area. Their trust in the Kyiv government, however, is also in short supply, reports GHN based on DW.
"When I leave my house, I see more dogs than people on the streets. And outside city hall, the people there are screaming for bread." This is how Igor described Ilovaisk, a small city near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Hundreds of people died here this summer in some of the most violent confrontations between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatist militias.
Amid those battles, there was substantial pro-Russia support in Ilovaisk, as many hoped in earnest that the promises made in Russian media for higher wages and pensions would be fulfilled.
That's all gone now, said Igor, who like others requested his last name not be used for his own safety. He is one of the people whose hopes have been dashed. The war has cost him his business. He hasn't seen his family in six months. During the clashes, his wife took their two children to the neighboring region of Krasnodar in southern Russia. "All I can do is cry when I walk into their empty room," Igor told DW. He may have a home here, but he said the chances for a life here with his him family are dim.