«Everything must work: electronic warfare system, drone detector, icon»: evacuation from Konstantynivka under crosshair of enemy drones and rockets

The Konstantinovskaya artery of life can easily be confused with the road of death. Like scenery from a horror movie about the apocalypse, a net torn by the wind and drones flutters above the road to the city. On both sides is burnt, blackened asphalt: it is likely that this is where cars were burned to the ground after being attacked by dozens of enemy FPVs.

In some places, the evacuation vehicle has to swerve sharply in different directions, while keeping an eye out for oncoming traffic. Sharp swerves are necessary to avoid hitting potholes in the middle of the road — another consequence of drone strikes or shelling. A depth of 30 centimeters is enough to fall into them or damage a wheel.

If a forced stop occurs, the evacuation vehicle will become a lucrative target for Russian FPVs. The crew of the «White Angels» of Kostiantynivka — Dmytro Soloviy and Serhiy Narykov — know this from their own experience. The Russians hunted their bus, which they use to rescue civilians, with all kinds of drones. Therefore, safety on the «road of life and death» is ensured solely by the speed of reaction and the «chuykas» who track the drones. The net over the road is not a panacea.

No stoping after Druzkivka, only highway speeds, among electronic warfare system, an icon, that will certainly not hurt

Before the «White Angels» evacuation bus leaves, both police officers put on all their protective gear and make sure that journalists are also «packed up.» The armored bus used to transport people, the electronic warfare equipment on it, and several devices for tracking drones do not provide the protection that would guarantee the safety and integrity of the crew. The large windshield is a target that russian operators always try to hit. It is the weakest part of the bus, so despite the several tons of armor, the driver and his colleague sitting next to him are still not safe. This vehicle transports people from a place where not only FPVs control the sky, but mortars also fire extremely accurately at moving targets. Despite this, the crew has rescued more than three thousand civilians during the full-scale war.

«Today we have two addresses on the left bank of Kostyantynivka. It used to be terrible there. And now on the right, which is further from Chasiv Yar, it’s even worse. Drones, GABs, constant explosions, houses collapsing. Impacts are everywhere in the city, but those areas are being destroyed right now. Now there is a lot of fiber optics on the right bank, and the city is being reduced to dust,» — «angels» warn.

When the bus crosses the border of Druzhkivka, Dmytro and Serhiy start looking at the sky — there, the «chuyka» is already detecting reconnaissance drones, so they have to keep an eye not only on the road but also on the airspace. The speed here is necessarily higher — because the occupiers regularly target the city, prolonged stops are undesirable. However, preparations for the «hunger games» will begin in a few minutes, when the town of Kostyantynivka is left behind. The «White Angels» turn on their electronic warfare systems as the bus travels along the highway, which is referred to on social media as the «road of death.» The main artery that still connects these cities is no longer as busy as it used to be — today, it is mostly used by the most courageous and daring. But everyone understands that soon such travel (even at high speed) will be impossible.

«Everything needs to work: electronic warfare systems, drone detectors, icon. A family from Pokrovsk, whom we evacuated, gave us this icon, so we carry it with us. It’s not superfluous here, but right where it belongs,» Dmytro Soloviy explains with a smile.

«It is only a beginning for Kostyantynivka»

Today, requests for evacuation from Kostiantynivka are uneven, depending on how heavily the city is shelled the day before and how long people have lived without civilization, and how much they need it at all. For example, two to three weeks ago, the «White Angels» were transporting people from 15 to 20 locations daily. Now, the number of people willing to leave has dropped to 2−3 per day. However, both then and now, there are cases when the journey under fire is futile.

«There is no communication on the left bank, so relatives call their parents, grandmothers, or grandfathers—and they do not answer. Then they call us: „Come, evacuate them.“ We record the request, arrive, and the people categorically refuse to leave. It turns out that either the relatives lied about the people being ready to leave, or they didn’t tell them about the call at all. So, out of 20 requests, for example, 10 were rejected because people didn’t want to leave,» explains the police officer.

It is impossible to combat this phenomenon in a town located 5 kilometers from the contact line, where all courtyards and roads are «killzones.» A few days after refusing to leave, another shelling may force those who refused to jump into an evacuation bus. Sometimes this happens in a state of shock after loud explosions, sometimes when their home with a «safe» basement burns down behind them. However, the experience of the «White Angels» shows that if this does not happen, there is no point in going to that address during the week and persuading people to evacuate.

«Eventually, we will still accept requests from that address and go there. But there is at least a week between trips, when people change their minds. The most realistic evacuations from Kostiantynivka are when people call themselves and ask to be taken away. Then they don’t refuse when we come for them,» says Soloviy.

The evacuation «drag» in Dmitry’s experience was the same in all settlements within range of Russian artillery and strike drones. Avdiivka, Bakhmut, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Dobropillya, and finally Kostyantynivka — the situation was the same everywhere: a month ago, volunteers were working in the city, utilities were being provided, and even the streets were being cleaned by municipal workers. Now, however, from basic minimum conditions of civilization left — electricity, and even the availability of that — are a short-lived convenience.

«As long as there is light in Kostyantynivka, people stay. This hinders evacuation because as long as there is electricity, they refuse to leave. Although there are airstrikes on the city and its surroundings every few minutes. People are killed and wounded every day,» say the «White Angels» about the city that is being destroyed by the occupiers.

However, there is one unexpected occurrence—taxis that drive around Kostyantynivka and pick up passengers. Calling a car is a challenging task, as you need to find a connection at the very least. Another difficulty is paying, as a trip to Druzhkivka costs 500−700 hryvnia, and the return trip costs twice as much.

«The grandmothers cooperate in groups of three, for example, calling one taxi. They go to Druzhkivka to collect their pensions and buy groceries, receive their money, and chip in to pay for the taxi. It turns out that taxi drivers themselves create conditions for people to stay here as long as possible,» explains Dmytro Soloviy.

There are about ten shops left in the city, but they are so far away from most of the remaining population that the road there may become a one-way trip. Even those places are quickly closed, as russian operators monitor any gathering of people. So as soon as they see a more lively place (including a store), everything flies there: artillery, guided bombs, dozens of drones. The target is not important — what is important is to cause maximum damage, preferably fatal. In particular, just last week, a rocket hit one of the stores. Nine people were killed. In essence, they were killed for having to leave their basements and homes to purchase bread and canned goods.

«The russians are burning down a living city. There are no intact buildings left—everywhere the windows are broken, there are holes in the walls. Nothing can protect you from the bombs. GABs, FPVs, „Molnias“… When the sun shines, fiber optic cables clinging to the ruins glisten in the streets,» former residents describe the horrific reality in Kostiantynivka.

From «we are going to die here» to «I am afraid to die under the rubble in my home»: what forced two families to leave Kostiantynivka despite tears and loss

Driving through the devastated streets of Kostyantynivka, you notice a few civilians moving around the city. Most of them are moving slowly, as if in no hurry to disappear from the streets, which are being monitored by drones. There are not many people — no more than a dozen can be counted during the entire trip along the left bank. However, it seems that they do not understand that going out to get water or buy bread may be the last thing they do in their lives (or with all their limbs intact).

The family that the «angels» are taking away today managed to pack almost half of their house into bags: blankets, dishes, clothes for all seasons, their grapes and vegetables from the plot near the house. Among the bags are boxes with photo albums and old toys. All of this is memories that they are afraid to leave behind in Kostiantynivka. So they are taking them into the unknown, without any hope of returning to their intact home.

There are so many bags that policemen doubt that everything will fit in the bus, but the old man insists on taking everything, so the items are literally crammed into a small evacuation vehicle. The situation is complicated by the fact that they have to load quickly, because while the bus is standing still, it is a prime target for drones.

Lyudmila, her mother, grandmother, and grandfather couldn’t decide whether to evacuate for several weeks. However, when rumors spread throughout the city that the russians were surrounding it and that some had allegedly already entered Kostyantynivka itself, they became frightened and decided to leave.

«We weren’t planning on going anywhere. We were all hoping that somehow things would work out. But then the water disappeared in April, the gas on August 22, and there has been no electricity since August 14. And that’s it, we can’t live without these things. Some people say that our troops will be withdrawn from Kostiantynivka and that the russians will soon be here, while others say that there will be a siege here. Well, we got scared, because how are we going to survive here without food, when the shops are closed? The pharmacies are also all closed… So we decided to leave,» explains Lyudmila.

Her mother, Valentina, adds that their neighbors are already cooking food on open fires. They did the same, but quickly realized that they would not be able to survive in such conditions, even in warm weather. Especially without supplies of coal and firewood.

«We decided to go to Kharkiv and rent an apartment there. One for all of us, because it’s expensive, but we hope to find something that would be covered by state aid,» says the woman.

When everyone has loaded into the evacuation vehicle, the grandfather checks the yard, closes the house and the gate behind him. He does this to the sound of shelling, ducking every time something explodes nearby.

Other residents of the city, Dmitry and his wife, who were visited by policemen, were also convinced that everything would end and they would not have to leave. The couple changed their minds in the last few days, during which russia targeted and «closed» the last hospital in the city, attacked a store where people bought food, and destroyed several houses with drones, injuring people. Then the couple decided to leave — together with their two dogs. As the woman says, «we took the most valuable things with us.»

«We have lived here for half our lives, since birth. We deliberated for a long time about leaving, but finally made the decision. Then a drone crashed into our car… We still have a house in Kostyantynivka. We built it, furnished it… We did everything. And two dogs are still there, which a neighbor will look after. They’re ours, but where can we go with four of them? We took our closest relatives with us,» the couple explains.

The dogs hardly move at this moment, snuggling up to their owners. The atmosphere in the bus is one of despair mixed with hope of returning home. Dmitry’s wife wipes away her tears, and her husband’s eyes are also wet. Half of their lives are left behind, which they are forced to leave with three bags and two dogs. That is all they have left, because the russians came to «liberate» them.

Finally, when all the passengers from the evacuation bus are transferred to the volunteers' car (which will take them to the train station and the shelter), Dmytro Soloviy and Serhiy Narykov breathe a sigh of relief. The evacuation, despite the broken fences and blocked roads, was a success. The people have been taken away, and now the next and most important thing is for other residents of Kostyantynivka to decide to leave. Because every day of waiting turns the «road of life» into the «road of death.»

«We will take you and find shelter for everybody, just leave»

Returning to base, Dmytro Soloviy notes that this time russian propaganda actually saved the last family. Frightened by rumors of Russian infiltration, they decided to leave and thus saved their lives. However, more often than not, the information that the occupiers broadcast on social media and propaganda radio (which the townspeople listen to) has the opposite effect. People, warned of the «atrocities» committed by angelic police officers, refuse to evacuate… because they are afraid that they will be taken away to be harvested for organs

«In Pokrovsk, one family hid their children from us. And when we found them and took them away, people said they had heard on the radio and from their neighbors that our crew was taking children away for organ harvesting. We explained to them what we were doing and showed them the families we had already taken away and settled. Then we managed to convince them when we took them to the place where they settled and introduced them to the chaplain who was receiving other displaced persons,» recalls one of the police officers.

Dmytro Soloviy adds that it is difficult to explain the importance of survival and own humanity. Moreover, the dialogues are always the same — with the same arguments «thrown in» by enemy propaganda and with the same fears. So, perhaps if people near the front line had greater access to Ukrainian broadcasting rather than enemy propaganda, the evacuation would be much faster.

Serhiy Narykov, senior inspector of the evacuation measures department, confirms this—people who remain near the line of combat believe everything they are told, practically at face value. They even trust social media posts from acquaintances or voices they hear daily (i.e., the radio) more than the law enforcement officers who have come to rescue them.

«When people arrive at the shelter safe and sound, they are surprised because they expected us to take them somewhere to be killed. But here, they find refuge. They are completely disoriented because sometimes it seems that they were traveling toward a hypothetical death. No one has been ungrateful for the evacuation so far. We repeat: we will take everyone away, settle them, and find them a home. We will take goats, calves, dogs, and cats. As long as people come with us,» says the «angel.»