«If someone pulls a slate here, it’s not a looting, it’s survival»: How a village, founded by Greeks and razed to the ground by russians, is dying in Donetsk region

From the center of Velyka Novosilka inVolnovakha district of Donetsk region, it takes just over 10 kilometers to the occupiers' positions. For a long time the distance has been unsafe for civilians who still live in the shelled village. Over the past two years, they have become accustomed to enemy’s drones and shells flying over their heads. Almost every yard here had its own «arrival» and every family was devastated — either by the distance at which their loved ones are living now or by the painful loss. However, a few residents still remain in Velyka Novosilka and hold on to the ruins of their lives and homes to the end, realizing that none of them has any guarantee for «tomorrow».

Vchasno journalists saw the conditions in which the locals survive without electricity, water and gas, when the only suppliers of food, medicine and news from «civilization» are police officers of the «White Angel» unit or chaplains with a mini-concert in Ukrainian.

From the Crimean Greeks to the invaders in a kilometer from the village

Today, the distance from Velyka Novosilka to the nearest positions of russians in the occupied territories is 10.6 km. To the demarcation line, where battles are fought — 8.8 km. And although this distance seems small, a year ago the neighboring village — Neskuchne — was «under the russians». The invaders stood a kilometer from Velyka Novosilka, and there was a huge risk that the settlement would also be captured.

«In recent years, the village began to develop a lot, all buildings were reconstructed, there were repairs in schools and kindergartens, the tennis court was updated at the stadium… Due to agriculture, our area has always lived well. And when the war began — everything finished. Of course, everything is mined. Plus, thrown with iron from rockets and mines. As Greeks-immigrants once founded this settlement, now we are the same immigrants», Mykola Yanatyev, a policeman of the «White Angel» union, who is a local resident of Velyka Novosilka, says with not a cheerless smile.

Before the invasion, the settlement was quite successful. In particular, there was a hospital (which in 2017 received a new diagnostic equipment), there were two schools and two kindergartens, a children’s music school, a sports complex and a stadium. The latter, by the way, managed to survive under normal conditions for only a few years: it was repaired in the fall of 2016, and a new tennis court was added in 2021.

Currently, policemen regularly record more and more damage to Velyka Novosilka. And today, according to Mykola Yanatyev words, only 20% of all buildings of the village can be repaired and brought to a «conscious» state. The rest ones will have to be demolished — since entire streets have been destroyed.

«As the local rulers say, some prince would like to help in the restoration, and, of course, Greece too. They want to help us, Velyka Novosilka. But it takes a lot of money: gardens, hospitals, schools, all buildings, administration, etc. — everything is destroyed, the central market burned down. And I can’t even imagine how to restore something here at all unless you put a huge fence along the city to see only half of it — the one that has not yet been completely blown apart… I cannot see life here. To live here in such conditions, to see all the consequences of the attacks, damages — you have to be some kind of a crazy man. Because a healthy person would not live like this», the man says.

Today, Velyka Novosilka has the only entertainment — visits of volunteers who give locals humanitarian aid and sometimes take the animals to be attached. Or the arrival of chaplains. This time the humanitarian aid was brought by chaplains from Volyn, who decided to arrange several small concerts for the villagers. They sing in Ukrainian and admit that sometimes people are dissatisfied with this. However, they never objected to the language and did not demand «language».

«We live near Belarus, go there twice a month — we get together, take help from the locals, load and go. And the reaction to us is different in every village. We were in Rivne — there everyone was pleased that we arrived. And here — not everyone shares it… Someone looks aggresively, or smiles in the eyes, but behind them they says other things. Once we got into Novosilka under the fire! We were fired from mortars, and once we were „covered“ with Grads. But we understand that they (russians — ed.) began to recharge — then we slip further», the chaplains say.

Basement with the scent of dampness, old age and despair

Almost 90% of the village is destroyed. However, people stay here and hold on to the ruins of their lives and homes to the end, realizing that none of them has any guarantee for «tomorrow.»

Many people moved from Velyka Novosilka at the beginning of the invasion mainly to Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya regions. However, until the last there were about 400 children in the village. Fortunately, there were no minors among them. On February 20, 2023, all families with children were evacuated from Velyka Novosilka.

«We have two locations where people are living massively as we know. We bring humanitarian aid, water, medicine — everything they need. But the living conditions are awful… There is no light in Novosilka since April 17, 2022. Artillery and „Grads“ are used there, so they constantly live in the basements. There are those who still live in their houses or apartments. But they don’t go anywhere when everything starts», «White Angel» policeman Mykola Yanatyev tells.

Today, one cannot record even cases of looting in Velyka Novosilka. All the people could they stole in the first months of the invasion, when the settlement descended from the locals, who immediately left from here. However, regularly the police are called to quarrels — between those neighbors who share one basement «in general».

«Now, if someone pulls a board or a slate in Novosilka — then this is no longer a looting, but survival. There are no household appliances in the houses since the spring of 2022. And nobody needs it — because there is no light, everything is being cooked on the fire or gas», police officers say.

Svitlana Illivna, a resident of Velyka Novosilka, says that now 18 people live nearby in their two-story building and surroundings. Before the invasion, there were hundreds of them — the street was always quite full and crowded. However, when the russians attacked Ukraine, most of them left. There are those who have nowhere to go… or who doesn’t want to do it.

«There are no shops, only bread is brought three times a week — we buy. We cook everything on a gas stove, which we fill ourselves or with the help of the police. I order drinking water for myself, my daughter and animals — in bottles, every month. And I take the technical water here from the wells. Previously I fed 16 cats, now there are 8 of them… We are scared, but what to do? We survive. I drink valerian twice a night and several times during a day. Nothing takes me in small doses», the woman says.

Svitlana Illivna and her daughter live in a mutilated house without windows (they are clogged with boards). She says that there is nowhere for both to go — there are no relatives who would shelter them. And they do not want to leave without a specific place and conditions. Therefore, they decided to stay in their apartment, although they have no light, no water, no gas or heating or even communication.

Comfort in the basement

In the basement of one of the local schools, people created the conditions for living together. There are 28 improvised beds (each consisting of mattresses, boards and several chairs), next to one can find a lot of different things. You can find books, photo albums, pots and clothes in the trunk. They are so-called «dowry» of every local that they would like to save. The vast majority of residents are old people, so almost half of the packages are occupied by «destroyed life» — trifles from the peaceful pre-war period, photographs of relatives or things «inherited.» In such a way they live for two years. Previously, there were almost 100 persons here, now a little bit more than 20 ones.

«Recently, we have been shelled every day, at any moment, when you do not expect it. Therefore, going out is dangerous. So, all our old persons are sitting at the entrance to the basement — to be ready to go down as soon as possible. They also do not go far, because there is nowhere to hide, and they are afraid of. But now it is warm, the sun is shining — so we can go out. We cook on the street, on gas — one man called himself to cook. He took the initiative, so he likes to do it. The guys bring the products („White Angels“ — ed.), and we take water from the wells — there are some in the village», Iryna Babkina, a resident of the school basement, tells to the reporters.

The woman is «the chief» of the basement in which the inhabitants of Velyka Novosilka live. Before the invasion, she worked as a teacher in a music school — she taught to play the piano. Now her instrument does not work, and the russian rocket destroyed the music school long ago.

Irina admits: she will leave only when she is very «pressed» — although her mother and daughter are waiting for her in a safer place in Ukraine. The woman lives in her house — it is still relatively whole — she comes to the basement to eat, charge gadgets or flashlights. They charge all these things thanks to the generator.

Among the rows with packages and sleeping places there are «basement pets» — a dozen of cats and kittens who became rescuers from the raids of mice and rats. True, it was not possible to completely get rid of the presence of them even with the help of poison — therefore, people spend the day and sleep with rodents. They hope not to wake up in the same bed with them.

And though the majority of locals has no «free space» in basements or shelters someone has created the own «corner» in the middle of a common room.

«We used to bring OSB letters for locals — people laid out improvised „walls“ with them and separated their sleeping places from others», «White angel» Mykola Yanatyev recalls.

The toilet in the basement is also handy — buckets covered with lids or a piece of newspaper on the top. However, they were placed in a separate room, which was done to be a «toilet» — one for all. So there are more than a dozen buckets across the walls. Every bucket belongs to somebody.

«At night, just in case, we are locked inside — just in case, because it is not known what can happen now… Therefore, everyone goes here „on their own business“, and in the morning they take and pour it out», Iryna Babkina says.

The woman adds: there are quarrels between the locals — «as in any family, the nerves are shaken». But they are trying to finish them peacefully — not to call police officers. «If we have peace in the basement — it will be peace everywhere», Iryna says with a smile.

Locals' «walks» to the «other side»

«White Angels» help locals daily in Velyka Novosilka, they go around all the houses or «group basements» and feed people. However, sometimes even after that people do not say anything good or pleasant to them. In particular, Mykola Yanatyev says that sometimes he comes across videos with those residents of Velyka Novosilka, whom he helped a few days ago. True, the videos were released on russian propaganda channels, and the main thesis is «everything is so awful in Ukraine».

In particular, one of the last examples was a man who «crossed» the demarcation line on his bicycle and got to the invaders. There he complained about the atmosphere of «despotism» and terrible conditions in Ukraine. True, he blamed not the russians who crushed his village, but the Ukrainians.

When the policeman is asked if this offends him enough to stop helping people, the «angel» shakes his head confidently: categorically «no».

«I do not pay attention to it now. At first there was a bad feeling inside, but then I abstracted. Not everyone says such things voluntarily, to cameras, to propagandists — someone is forced to say everything. Perhaps someone really thinks that everything is so bad — then how to continue to help someone at all… Because someone tells us that we are great and doing a good job! And someone pours dirt and quarrels on something I do not understand. I don’t pay attention to such people — I just go away so that I don’t hear it», Mykola Yanatyev says.

Whatever people remain in Velyka Novosilka, police officers and volunteers provide them with humanitarian aid and any other help to the end. Thanks to this, the last inhabitants of the village are living in their basements and destroyed houses.

Text: Alina YevychPhoto: Maria Davydenko