It's been five years since the referendum on self-determination in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. On May 11th, 2014, almost 90% of the residents of Donetsk Oblast and about 96% of the residents of Lugansk Oblast who came to the polling stations voted for independence from Ukraine. It means this week comes with a double holiday.
Sergey Zenin has the details on the state of affairs in Donbas now.
The "motherland" and "patriotism" are specific concepts in Donbas. That's why people came in full families to the parade on May 9th and to the Saur-Mogila, a legendary height, two days before. Saur-Mogila is a strange place. Two ranks rise in the direction of the monument that once stood here. Until 2014, there was a Soviet soldier statue on the hill. Ukrainian troops destroyed it. People in the first rank are holding portraits of those who died here in 1943, defending the height. In the second rank, there are those who lost their lives in 2014. I knew some of them personally. It's hard to talk.
Yuri Kolomiytsev is one of those who survived. He's a militiaman of the Vostok battalion.
Yuri Kolomiytsev : “I think there were good higher powers above us then. I'm an atheist but there were angels above us. The artillery razed us to the ground. Only the little trenches we'd dug, our native land, that's what saved us, helped us.”
They don't separate one war from the other. They protected the motherland both in the middle of the previous century and in the 2010s. Thousands came to see the parade. Tens of thousands took part in the Immortal Regiment.
“It's important indeed. We can't forget it as they did in Ukraine. That's why we've brought our youngest here.”
Vasily Alexandrovich Trofimenko was born in Lugansk 94 years ago. He left to the front from here 74 years ago.
- We've brought flowers for you.
Vasily Trofimenko: "Thank you. I remember all of it. I took part in the Battle of Berlin. I put my name on the Reichstag. It was on May 2nd, not on May 9th when the war actually ended".
On Independence Day in Lugansk and Donetsk, the curfew was lifted for the first time in five years. This day, only grocery stores and photo studios were open. At the latter, people line up to take passport photos.
"Let's take a photo. Attention. OK".
The French militiaman is one step away from his dream. Erwan Castel has been on the front line in Donbas since 2015. He's already obtained the citizenship of the DPR. Now he's going to apply for a Russian passport.
"Thank you. I look young here".
He's 57, a serving officer. He doesn't speak Russian well yet. He keeps a diary in French when lying in trenches. When he's on leave, he keeps an information blog with over a million subscribers.
This is the Seversky Donets river, a bridge, a border crossing. The Ukrainian checkpoint is clearly visible. Behind me is the checkpoint "Stanitsa Luganskaya", the Ukrainian side. Now, there are about 1,500 people there. They let people through very slowly. There's only one problem with getting in — there are those who are going to come to Lugansk and apply for a Russian passport.
Liliya was born in Lugansk but she lives in the neighboring Ukrainian region. Her husband stayed there. She's come to find out what she needs to file the application. She says she's not alone, she's come with her neighbors.
"Four people came with me to apply for a passport. This is true. We're glad Russia is slowly letting us in. Thank you".
When asked how are things, people now call their number in the line. On the first day, the line started to form at 2 a.m. By noon, there were already more than 600 people on the lists.
"It's all written on my hand — I'm 176th, my husband's 177th, my son-in-law is 178th. In the Lugansk Republic, there are already 18 receiving areas".
In the DPR, which is bigger by population, there are 33 of them.
“Thank goodness, finally, it's happening! I think this is unlocking the stalemate.”
"It's beautiful here, I used to hunt here. Now it's a different kind of hunt".
Right now in Donetsk, there are open-air celebrations. People are celebrating the fifth anniversary of independence. But there must be someone to protect this independence. We are in position. It's about 550 yards to the Ukrainian troops. There will be fireworks in the evening in Donetsk. Here, fireworks happen every day. But they are different.
It's quiet in the daytime so they can talk. They talk about the same things as civilians do. But they don't have numbers on their hands. The military is expected to be considered in a separate manner.
- What does it mean for you personally to get a Russian passport?
Call sign Serj: "It'll be like achieving the ultimate goal of me crawling around these trenches for five years. Yes, this year it's been five years at war. Out of this time, I've spent four full years on the front line. It'll be my victory".
The migration services of the two republics suggest that at least 80% of the population will apply for Russian passports.
Sergey Zenin, Dmitry Malyshev, Alexey Yaldin, Andrey Rudenko, Oleg Bondarenko, Vesti Nedeli, Donetsk, Lugansk.
