Javi Julio

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www.javijulio.com

Truce in the Donbas

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Location: San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

Nationality: Spanish

Biography: San Sebastian, Basque Country (1978) is a photojournalist and filmmaker. He has worked as a freelance photo and video journalist collaborating with different international media and agencies, focusing his objective on social struggles, respect... MORE

In November 2014, the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, belonging to the Donbas oblast, voted in a referendum to secede from Ukraine, so the Kiev authorities launched a "special anti-terrorist operation" to wipe out the separatist forces.

The mainly pro-Russian population was locked in a war of attrition. Many of them had to take refuge in shelters during the fighting. At Christmas 2014, a truce was reached and the Minsk negotiations began.

By the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Dombas war had resulted in more than 14,000 civilian and combatant casualties on both sides.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine...ch near the town of Pervomaisk.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine. A young Cossack soldier of pro-Russian separatist forces stands attentively in a trench near the town of Pervomaisk.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine...tack in one of the classrooms.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine. A neighbor of school 106 in Donestk observes the hole made by a Ukrainian attack in one of the classrooms.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine...on the outskirts of Pervomaisk.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine. A group of people look out of the window at a checkpoint of pro-Russian separatist forces, composed of Cossacks on the outskirts of Pervomaisk.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine...Christmas Day in the trenches.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine. A militiaman of separatist groups with several rockets and Santa Claus hat during Christmas Day in the trenches.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine...m the bombings and live inside.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine. Entrance gate to a shelter built during the cold war period, in the 1960s. After the bombings by Kiev, the inhabitants have had to take refuge to protect themselves from the bombings and live inside.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine... the shelling and live indoors.

December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine. Maria, 80 years old, has lost her house. A survivor of the Nazi invasion during World War II, she says the situation is like it was then. After the bombardment by Kiev, the inhabitants have had to take shelter to protect themselves from the shelling and live indoors.

December 2014. Donestk. Ukraine...ir house to shelling from Kiev.

December 2014. Donestk. Ukraine. A group of people survive in the air raid shelter in the city of Donestk, after losing their house to shelling from Kiev.

December 2014. Lugansk. Ukraine...y chance they have to survive.

December 2014. Lugansk. Ukraine. Despite the declared truce between the two sides, attacks on the civilian population continue. Many of them without resources after losing their homes due to shelling, go to centers where they are assured of one meal a day. In winter, temperatures reach below freezing, and this is the only chance they have to survive.

December 2014. Donestk. Ukraine. A group of people survive in the air raid shelter in the city of Donestk, after losing their house to shelling from Kiev.

December 2014. Lugansk. Ukrain...ey had lived without conflict.

December 2014. Lugansk. Ukraine. A group of pro-Russian militiamen, many of them from the same town of Pervomaisk, patrol the invisible border that separates the two communities where until then they had lived without conflict.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain...ure the cold during the truce.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. Entry into the trenches of a separatist military base, where the militiamen endure the cold during the truce.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain...eral soldiers rest watching TV

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. Inside the trenches, the separatist militiamen have built bases to protect themselves from the cold during the winter nights. In the photo, several soldiers rest watching TV

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain...nce to the city of Pervomaisk.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. An elderly Cossack militiaman walks through the checkpoint at the entrance to the city of Pervomaisk.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain... although of lesser intensity.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. Inside the town of Pervomaisk, the remains of a church bombed by kyiv during the truce. Despite the truce, the two factions continue to commit attacks, although of lesser intensity.

December 2014. Donestk, Ukrain...destroyed due to the fighting.

December 2014. Donestk, Ukraine. A separatist militiaman walks by the door of a civilian building, full of shrapnel from the bombings. The area is located next to the modern Donetsk airport, opened a few years earlier for the European Football Championship and completely destroyed due to the fighting.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain...rapnel from the previous days.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. A couple walks through the city of Pervomaisk, where they can see the holes in the streets from the bombs and fragments of shrapnel from the previous days.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain...in combat against kyiv troops.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. Graves of several separatist militiamen killed in combat against kyiv troops.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain... Grad shells during the truce.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. A woman walks through the city of Pervomaisk next to a civilian housing building attacked with Grad shells during the truce.

December 2014. Donestk, Ukrain...he latest attacks can be seen.

December 2014. Donestk, Ukraine. A woman walks through the city of Donetsk next to a civilian residential building where the trajectory of shrapnel from the latest attacks can be seen.

December 2014. Donetsk, Ukrain...nt by rebel leader Zaharchenko

December 2014. Donetsk, Ukraine. A woman hands out separatist flags from Donetsk province during an event by rebel leader Zaharchenko

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain...s of shells from the bombings.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. In the city of Pervomaisk, two girls walk next to a statue of Lenin. At the foot of the statue and as a complaint, there are dozens of remains of shells from the bombings.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukrain... in his hands at a checkpoint.

December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine. A Cossack militiaman walks with a cake in his hands at a checkpoint.

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Thumbnail of December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine._nch near the town of Pervomaisk.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine._ttack in one of the classrooms.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine._ on the outskirts of Pervomaisk.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine._ Christmas Day in the trenches.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine._om the bombings and live inside.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Luhansk. Ukraine._m the shelling and live indoors.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Donestk. Ukraine._eir house to shelling from Kiev.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk. Ukraine._ly chance they have to survive.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk. Ukraine_hey had lived without conflict.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_dure the cold during the truce.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_veral soldiers rest watching TV

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_ance to the city of Pervomaisk.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_, although of lesser intensity.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Donestk, Ukraine_ destroyed due to the fighting.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_hrapnel from the previous days.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_ in combat against kyiv troops.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_h Grad shells during the truce.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Donestk, Ukraine_the latest attacks can be seen.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Donetsk, Ukraine_ent by rebel leader Zaharchenko

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_ns of shells from the bombings.

Thumbnail of December 2014. Lugansk, Ukraine_e in his hands at a checkpoint.

Public Story

Truce in the Donbas

Copyright Javi Julio 2024

Updated Sep 2023

Location Donbas (Ukraina)

Javi Julio / Basque Country

Sep 1, 2013 - Ongoing

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