Loneliness is painful. Loneliness in war is almost unbearable.
The small town of Siversk in the Donetsk Region has been under the heaviest shelling for a long time. There are still Russian offensives in which Siversk is the target of Russian forces.
Destroyed houses, unexploded bombs, burned cars – Siversk lies only in ruins. But people still live there. Cut off from the outside world. Without water, without electricity. Food is only available when volunteers come and bring care packages. Base UA is one of these volunteers.
When our team was in Siversk, we met two men who live on the outskirts of the city. An emaciated dog, chaos all over the front yard. Poverty and sadness, but also a strong character, runs through the faces of these two.
People who remain in the war zones often suffer from solitude.
© Madison Tuff
We gave them each a bag of food and water. As we were walking back to the car, one of them followed us. He asked our driver, Jodie, for a cigarette. When she gave him the pack, the man began to cry.
He went down on his knees, holding Jodie’s hand very tightly.
We have to deal with so much emotion all the time. But it is not easy. Even when we know what’s coming, we still sometimes get blindsided by what’s happening. It hurts to see so much pain.
We hope that we can at least give the people a little closeness in addition to the relief supplies that are essential for survival.
Because loneliness can also destroy people.
© Anton Yaremchuk