Ukrainian civilians hiding children in basements
Ukrainian volunteers who have been trying to escape civilians from the frontlines of the war with Russia say that some parents have been hiding their children in basements to prevent them from being taken.
Most volunteers attributed the phenomenon to poverty and the psychological condition of the families who have been living under bombing for months have been attributed to a combination of poverty and the psychological condition of the families.
In early March Ukraine s government gave local authorities permission to evacuate children in the eastern city of Bakhmut, site of one of the longest and bloodiest battles of Russia's war.
The government has said that only settlements at risk of coming under Russian occupation are limited to Bakhmut. There are no legal powers for areas exposed along Ukraine's 600 mile frontline, such as Avdiivka, a town south of Bakhmut.
Sasha, a volunteer medic in Bakhmut, said other civilians would notify him of where children were being hidden.
We knew the child was in this place, so we went there and she had not been outside since September, said Sasha, who shared a video of the labyrinth basement the child was living in. The children's hands were grey from lack of sunlight. The mother said she feared going outside and had nowhere to go, a concern reflected by the volunteers who said more work needed to be done on building relocation programmes for civilians.
Since the war began, the intensity of the civilians in Bakhmut has increased dramatically in recent months. Ukrainian authorities say 4,000 civilians are still in the city, but it is not clear how many of them are children.
Thousands of volunteers have been involved in evacuating civilians from frontline areas since the beginning of the war. There are still thousands of children living in frontline areas, despite many parents leaving before the frontline reaches them.
Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke, 27, has been evacuating people almost daily in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region since May. His team liaises with other groups to make sure those leaving are re-housed. Videos he posts to his Instagram account vividly depict what life is like for civilians in frontline areas and the evacuation process itself.
Ivlev-Yorke described the severe mental health problems faced by many people living in basements in frontline areas. They often spend months together with no electricity, water, gas or fresh air, while battles rage above.
On a visit to Soledar, a town east of Bakhmut from which Ukrainian forces retreated in January, he persuaded a woman to evacuate with her child. Some of those staying in the basement swore at her and burned her belongings as she left her.
Ivlev-Yorke said that his experience in another basement on the opposite side of the road in Soledar was completely different, as people gave many reasons for not leaving, from having an elderly relative who could not walk, to not believing he would be able to arrange accommodation for them. Many of those he encountered have already fled once.
People reluctant to leave often are very poor, have little trust in the state and are not very confident he added.
They feel like they have been overlooked by the state he said. The Ukrainian government offers evacuees 2000 UAH and hostels for about $50 a month.
Ukraine isn't a very rich country. It is not a welfare state. When someone comes along and says everything is going to be OK, just get in the car and you're going to have a future, we ll give you a house and give you clothes. I ll give you a computer that you think is a bullshit. Why would anyone care for me, no one cared about me, no one cared for me.