I have just returned from eastern Ukraine.
It is now one year on from the start of the war there and having the spent the last week travelling through frontline communities around the city of Luhansk/Lugansk, I'm still reeling from the emotional impact of the terrible stories I listened to from those caught up in this war.
The very fact that this city like most places here has two spellings one Ukrainian one Russian, serves as a reminder of the political divisions that now wrack this part of the world. What such etymology doesn't reveal however is the true human cost of this conflict.
In the days ahead I hope to write in-depth about this, but for the moment reflect here on the one thing above all else that struck me during my time in the region.
More than anything I was reminded of how war always impacts most devastatingly on those who even before its outbreak were already the most vulnerable members of the community.
People like Nelly Chernikova a 70-year old mother, whose middle aged son, Igor, is blind and who now pleads daily with her to "take me home" after they fled to a nearby town because of the fighting.
I also met Maria and Mikhail Goncharova, who survived the ravages of the Nazis and Stalin's rule only to find their modest village home and few belongings wiped out in yet another war today.
In the decades ahead one can only guess at what the current generation of youngsters here in eastern Ukraine whose lives have been uprooted by the current conflict will remember of these traumatic times.
I'm thinking of little girls like Dasha and Sasha 10 and 11 years-old respectively whose father is missing believed killed and whose mother tells of their nightmares and bed wetting.
The poor, elderly, young, infirm and disabled, these are the people that are bearing the brunt of eastern Ukraine's war. While the politicians on all sides posture and the international community appears oddly impotent when it comes to finding a solution to the crisis the casualty numbers mount and lives are increasingly shattered.
If there is any consolation in this bleak situation, it's that as always in the midsts of such horrors there are those determined to do the decent thing. Time and again among those I met they would tell of the kindness and hospitality shown by total strangers themselves caught up in the maelstrom of war. They would recount how families would take turns looking after children or elderly people while their guardians went in search of food, work or the documentation needed to exist as a 'displaced person'. They recalled how shelter would be found and offered for those leaving behind their homes and facing an utterly uncertain future. It was good also to see that humanitarian agencies are making their presence felt working under very difficult circumstances.
One of the first working in the Luhansk/Lugansk region is Mercy Corps whose European headquarters are based in Edinburgh. Already their 'surge team' an advanced guard of emergency specialists with expertise in providing food, cash, water and hygiene assistance are on the ground. Such efforts make an enormous difference to those who have been left with nothing. Where this conflict might be going is anyone's guess. But most I spoke with feel it is far from over yet.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article