In Ukraine, living in Donbass under Russian pressure

During the summer, the thermometer shows more than 35 °C in the southeast of Ukraine. To cool off, local residents and soldiers take advantage of the water reservoirs that abound in the Donbass mining basin. On the beaches, swimsuits have replaced uniforms and smiles light up the faces of bathers. An apparent relaxation that contrasts radically with the military situation in the region. While the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk allows Kiev to extend the conflict into Russian territory, it has not reshuffled the cards. On August 26, Russia launched massive strikes throughout the country, targeting electrical infrastructure. In the heart of the Donetsk oblast, Kremlin troops have been digging a hole in the Ukrainian defensive system since February. Their soldiers are now only 10 km from the city of Pokrovsk, a logistics center located along a strategic road leading to the regional capital. On the front, Ukrainian fighters are hiding in the thickets to escape the enemy drones that fly over their positions almost continuously. Caught between two fires, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages have no choice but to pack up and leave. In the middle of the harvest season, many farmers are fleeing the shells that are crashing into their farms, leaving behind the fruits of a lifetime of toil. The army has taken up position in the city of Toretsk. Targeted by daily air raids, the mining town, once home to more than 30,000 inhabitants, is said to have only a few thousand souls now that the Russians are at the city gates.