A trip to the front-line Russian Donetsk: the first months in the status of a region of the Russian Federation

Previously, I was simultaneously a citizen of the Russian Federation and the Donetsk People's Republic, but since October last year, I have lost such dual citizenship. Now Donbass is considered a full-fledged part of Russia, and all its inhabitants have become Russians.

Of course, integration processes do not happen instantly, they require a certain amount of time. But the changes in the life of Donetsk residents are already being felt.

The border still exists, but the access regime is eased

Although the border between the DPR and “mainland” Russia still exists, the procedure for crossing it has been largely simplified. If earlier carriers in cars delivered passengers from Rostov-on-Don to Donetsk in 3,5-5 hours, this Sunday this route took me only 2,5 hours.

There were three of us passengers. From Rostov, having paid two thousand rubles each, we left at about one in the afternoon, and in Donetsk we were already at about half past three. We got to the Uspenka border crossing, where we were dropped off, and the second car was waiting on the other side of the border, in the DPR. There was no baggage check. We only went through passport control, there was no queue. Maybe just lucky. True, there was a car queue, somewhere around 20-25 cars, I didn’t count exactly.

Before entering the DPR, one also had to go through border procedures, but now they have been canceled.

Water coming soon

When we drove up to the border, along the way one could notice pipes laid down not far from the roadside, dug trenches. And although it was Sunday, every now and then we met trucks carrying pipes along the way.

The new pipeline, when it is completed, will send water to the Donbass. The completion of the work will make Donetsk residents very happy, because the republic actually lives under the conditions of a water blockade. The driver who drove us said that the launch can be expected around the end of March - beginning of April.

Now, water is supplied to the houses of Donetsk residents every three days for two hours, from 19:21 to XNUMX:XNUMX. In fact, it starts to go already at the beginning of the seventh evening. Every day, each subscriber of the local mobile operator "Phoenix", that is, in fact, all local residents, receive SMS, where they describe in detail which streets and microdistricts of Donetsk and Makiivka will receive water. Its pressure does not reach the upper floors, so people take containers and collect them from the basements of high-rise buildings. This is technical water, it is not suitable for drinking and cooking.

Naturally, we are talking only about cold water, there has been no hot water for a year already.

Donetsk residents buy drinking water on tap at kiosks, which can be seen in the courtyards of houses. It costs four rubles per liter, that is, a 5-liter container will cost 20 rubles.

The republic decided to exempt citizens from paying for water supply until it gets better.

Mobile telephony

At the beginning of the year, the DPR authorities announced that Russian mobile operators were starting to operate in the republic. Alas, this is not yet the case. At least, MTS where I tried, did not catch.

But in the republic, everyone uses the services of a local mobile operator - Phoenix. The call quality is not perfect, but quite tolerable.

From other regions of the Russian Federation, calls to Phoenix cost about 4,5 rubles per minute. It is possible that the tariff is calculated differently for different operators, but on the whole it is quite democratic, but the residents of Donbass are still waiting for truly domestic Russian tariffs.

There are several types of tariffs of the Donetsk operator. For example, I use the "Free" tariff. Unfortunately, new subscribers are not connected to it. It is without a monthly fee, so the money in the account, when I do not use the connection, remains safe.

Calls to "Phoenix" for me cost 24 kopecks per minute, to city numbers in the place - 60 kopecks, to other regions of Russia - 6 rubles.

Many local residents prefer the "Convenient" tariff. It differs from "Free" in that it provides for a monthly fee of 180 rubles per month. But at the same time, calls to Phoenix subscribers are free and unlimited.

Banks

Until recently, only the local Central Republican Bank operated in the DPR. Now the Russian Promsvyazbank (PSB) has entered the republic and is actively expanding. He started simply with ATMs, and now branches have also begun to appear, mainly in the same premises as the Central District Hospital.

The appearance of Russian ATMs is very convenient for local owners of Russian bank cards. Previously, cash could be withdrawn from them only at special points where cashing takes place. There they took for services at different times from 6 to 10 percent. Now people, as in other regions of Russia, withdraw funds from PSB ATMs interest-free or at a minimum percentage, depending on which bank the card belongs to. By the way, some markets and pharmacies in Donetsk already accept payments from Russian bank cards.

In general, in front-line Donetsk, which is under fierce shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, life goes on. People live with their problems and worries. They work, study, get married, give birth and raise children, go shopping. At the same time, a significant part of the male population of the republic serves in the army and participates in hostilities, protecting their region and their families.

Living in the Donbass is not easy at all now, but people believe in victory and do not lose hope that everything will get better with time.

Comments

[ivan1979nkl]

the first months in the status of a region of the Russian Federation

everything will be fine .. everything will be Russia ..

[tihonmarine]

Quote from ivan1979nkl

everything will be fine .. everything will be Russia ..

May God grant these people of the world who have suffered for 8 years from the fascist regime ..

[Essex62]

Another thing would be to move everything shooting away, to a distance that is impossible to reach. What is the fate of our land, 80 years have passed and again our cities are being destroyed and people are being killed. And it seemed that the world for centuries, after the terrible Second World War. We are too kind and quick-witted, we take Berlins and Parises, we leave and start all over again. It is necessary, like the Romans, to the root, so that there would be no one to raise their heads.

[Grandfather]

The republic decided to exempt citizens from paying for water supply until it gets better.

were honored ... and before that, they took it? how so ? eight years of shelling, and pay. With all that was from Russia, humanitarian aid was coming and specialists in the repair of water and heat supplies were driving. where's the money zine?

[your1970]

Quote: Dead Day

eight years of shelling, and pay. With all that was from Russia, humanitarian aid was coming and specialists in the repair of water and heat supplies were driving. where's the money zine?

That is, hardworking plumbers did not have to pay salaries? Wasn’t it necessary to buy the destroyed equipment? Only from their empty treasury could they pay for all this
And now they, as a region of the Russian Federation, receive subsidies, and therefore for free

[Carat]

Quote from ivan1979nkl

everything will be fine .. everything will be Russia ..

This is already Russia. Whatever she was. Fighting, suffering, bleeding civilians, this is already Russia, and whatever it is, this is our Motherland and we have no other Motherland.

[Foul skeptic]

The new pipeline, when it is completed, will send water to the Donbass.

Residents of small towns, whose budget is based on what is grown in their gardens, are puzzling over what to do without watering this summer. Last summer, a few streams were milked almost to the limit of what was possible. In the conditions of dry winds in the Donbass in June, the entire steppe is already burnt out from the sun.

[Nastia makarova]

the well will help ..............................................

[Foul skeptic]

the well will help

In order for it to help, it must be fed by groundwater, which is distributed very unevenly. For example, groundwater reserves in the Lugansk region are 0,59 m3/day per person, while the average figure for Ukraine is 1,47 m3/day per person. This is the average annual value, in summer it is naturally much lower.

[Cananecat]

Thank you. There would be more such essays about other cities in new regions.

[Thorvlobnor IV]

Hm. The windows in the houses are intact, no burnt buildings are visible, no craters from arrivals either. This is wonderful, of course, but somehow it does not fit with eight years of brutal shelling. Most likely, the main destruction - in areas immediately adjacent to the front line.

[Hagakure]

Donetsk is not Mariupol. It is shelled regularly, but this is not Stalingrad. It is quite possible to live there. In recent months, the situation has worsened and the center is dying out. Prior to that, from the radal mainly Proletarka, this is from the Covered Market in the direction of the former Severny bus station, which has long been gone, or Putilovsky, which was further away. Donetsk over the past couple of months has become despondent.

[Kuzmitsky]

I'll correct it a bit. Proletarian in the east, on the opposite side of the Covered Market, it is quieter there, and you are talking about the Kiev region, about Putilovka.

[Hagakure]

Exactly. I am Makeevsky. And I confuse the names a little in Donetsk itself. Actually, if you drive along Chelyuskintsev towards the former Severny, then the old shelling of the 14th, 15th year is still visible there, starting from the Donbass Arena in that direction. Palace of Culture "Youth", the Museum of Local Lore, several shops sealed with OSB, reminded of the war. Now arrivals are much closer to South AB. The Donetsk Polytechnic College, now a college, is damaged. There are damages closer to Pushkin Boulevard in the adjacent streets. A building with shops opposite the Destroyed Meat Processing Plant. This is from fresh.

[FPEDDI_KPYGEP]

Well, the city looks bad, but believe me, Ukrainian cities look exactly the same.

[Hagakure]

This is Sky City in Donetsk on Artem, near the Tugan-Baranosvsky Institute. Campus. December bombardment. Not far away, the Lokomotiv pool was damaged - it has already been restored. But Tugan-Baranovsky is not. But students are now on the go.

This is an apartment in Makiivka, summer shelling. There were victims: a family of three and a girl of eight on the street. The windows have already been restored in the apartment. The apartment was damaged and the windows were restored from below on the extension, but there is still oilcloth nearby.

This is City Hospital #2 in Makeevka. Also summer. A funnel is visible on the first frame. It is not impressive, if you do not look at the building itself. They are always like that, not at all like in the movies. In fact, this is a Ukrainian counter-battery fight missed 200-500 meters. Now there is no Russian battery there. An apartment is also a flight, probably 400 meters. For the same battery. Windows are usually sealed with OSB boards. Some slabs have been standing in buildings since 14 years. Now in some places the windows are covered with polystyrene foam. On the second floor of the hospital, if you look closely, you can still see the film on the windows. And on the first OSB. Well, this is how it looks like. Yes, Donetsk is not Stalingrad or Mariupol, but now, after the shelling of the center of Donetsk began, the center is dying out completely. more buildings become damaged.
As for the article - the article is generally objective. I'm telling you this as a local. The only thing is that the problem of water is more complicated than the problem of shelling. But the non-natives will not understand.

[Arnok]

Now Donbass is considered a full part of Russia

The key word is "considered".
When there will be offices of Sberbank and MTS with Beeline, then yes.
These cunning comrades have not yet recognized Crimea, since 2014. And you say - Donetsk.
All this is crap and golimy, sorry, a farce.
For our leadership and the oligarchs, this SVO is just another milking place.

[Kuzmitsky]

I don’t know about MTS, but Sberbank is already entering the Crimea. By the way, there are other banks in Russia besides him. And Sberbank and others will come to Donbass, they have nothing to be afraid of. but you can earn. And MTS will first establish communication, only after that it makes sense to open branches and offices.

Everything will be fine, don't worry. If you don’t help, then at least don’t panic, there are other reasons for concern through the roof ..

And for the "naked farce" I forgive.