Six large piles of black rock were deposited there by the local authorities, in the parking lot of a long-closed supermarket, at the southwestern entrance to the city, which still has almost half of the former 70,000 inhabitants. -war, according to the authorities.
In the east of the city, for four months, the forces of Moscow, at the head of which the auxiliaries of the paramilitary group Wagner, have gained a foothold. Opposite, the Ukrainian army defends its sector.
In the car park, the cars with their trailer follow one another and leave with their load to deliver those who do not have a vehicle.
In the back of a Lada, laid loose on the seat: a big bag of toilet paper rolls, a box of candles, and water bottles.
“The fact that we’re still here and helping others means a lot to us. We’re not sitting around doing nothing. We can’t survive on our own,” said Anatolii, 60, between shovelfuls.
The last residents of the city can take up to two tons of coal per house. Enough to warm up as the harsh Ukrainian winter approaches, where there has been no electricity or water since mid-October.
The small coal mounds have almost disappeared. The noise of the shovels scraping the asphalt to collect the residues does not drown out the incessant sound of the crossfire of shells which resound with a crash in Bakhmout.
– “Thinking of others” –
At the start of the war eight months ago, “we could say that we felt things (about what was happening), but now we are just surviving”, continues Anatolii, white beard and head covered with a cap.
“We do humanitarian aid. I have a house, I have bees, what I have in my garden, I give it to people for free (…) If someone needs carrots, cabbage, beets, let him take them (…) I don’t need a lot, as long as it can help people survive. At the moment, we are thinking more of others, “he pleads. he.
Very few inhabitants venture into the streets, except to do some shopping in the morning on a small market set up on a sidewalk in the city center, or in the last food stores still open.
The city itself is the object of daily bombardments. At the end of October, a Russian strike killed seven people.
Rare child present in the city, Sasha, aged about twelve, has just bought lemonade and returns to his parents. “A rocket fell there. A person died,” he said, pointing to one of the entrances to his building, before rushing into the hall.
The artillery duels are mainly on the outskirts, and the line of contact is currently located in the eastern suburbs of the city. The fighting is fierce, many dead, but the positions have been almost frozen for 4 weeks.
“It has become more difficult in the last three days. (The Russians) are pushing more and more. But our guys are holding their positions,” Vitalii, a 26-year-old Ukrainian soldier, told AFP, crossed in a sheltered place in the downtown.
Two combat vehicles are stationed there.
The crew of one of the tanks has just received the order to go to the front line, to fire its shells. He returns 15 minutes later, his mission accomplished.
With a red face, the team leader gets out of his tank and takes a big sip from a water bottle.
“When we arrived (in Bakhmout), we were shooting at the slag heap outside the city. The next day we shot inside the city. And today we are shooting outside again. “, he explains, without wanting to give his name.
The Russians “entered, and we repelled them. And now we are firing (on their positions) 2 km from the city. So, in a word, we are winning”, summarizes the soldier with a big smile.
