ERR in Ukraine: Sloviansk residents are no '5th column' awaiting Russian arrival
The eastern Ukrainian town of Sloviansk briefly came under Russian occupation during the "shadow war" in 2014, before Ukrainian forces liberated it. Now, the enemy is again approaching the city.
An "Aktuaalne Kaamera" crew visited the frontline town.
More and more roads in eastern Ukraine have recently been transformed into tunnels, bedecked with anti-drone netting. The road to Sloviansk is no exception, though inside the city there are no nets to be seen, mainly due to the town's depopulation during the war.
"There is money, there are nets, there is material, but it has to be done by people. Finding 200, 300 or 400 people for this work right now is a major problem," the town's mayor, Vadym Liakh, told "Aktuaalne Kaamera."
The front line is currently 20 kilometers from Sloviansk, and it is coming under Russian fire more and more frequently. For instance, a Russian glide bomb, a conventional aerial bomb fitted out with fins to enhance its range, fell on the city's market on the penultimate day of the year, not long after an apartment building in the city center had been hit by a Russian strike.
"A glide bomb fell and everything flew apart. Maybe even two. We all heard it and the next day we also saw it. There is a big hole in the wall, all the surrounding shops were damaged as well," local resident Valentina recalled.
"Almost every day and night glide bombs, Shaheds and small FPV drones are flying. Unfortunately, the enemy is gradually destroying the city," said another, Liakh.
The strikes and other effects of the war have led to power outages becoming a norm in Sloviansk, as they have been in other Ukrainian cities. But restoring infrastructure here is harder than it is further from the front.
"When there is no electricity, then there is no water and heating either; all the infrastructure has to be powered by generators. That is the main issue. The second problem is that our infrastructure, such as water stations, power plants and substations, is located outside the city, even closer to the front line, which makes it very difficult to restore," Liakh explained.
We are not a 'waiting' fifth column
The town's current population is less than half its pre-war figure of a little over 105,000.
Those staying behind are unlikely to leave, but deny that they are simply "zhduny," a term deriving from the Russian verb to wait, and implying they are simply waiting around for the Russians to arrive.
"It is hard for elderly people to leave. Even before the war there were more than half of them here. 'If we are to die, then better at home,' they say," Liakh noted.
"What does 'waiters' mean? If a person lived here their whole life, if they have a home here, what are they waiting for? Nobody is waiting for anything," Nelli stressed to the camera crew.
Another resident, Klara, also refuted there were any "waiters" in their midst. "There are none like that here. At least I have not encountered any. Everyone is for Ukraine, this is a wonderful country," she said.
Many local residents also volunteered to fight for Ukraine, Liakh said. "People are very patriotically minded. Many volunteered to join the army. Hundreds have been killed, which is not a small number, and there are also those still missing, as well as prisoners of war."
One example of this was Serhii Melnyk, born in Sloviansk, who volunteered to fight for Ukraine in 2022. In August 2024, he was killed in Donbas, leaving behind a wife and two small children, his mother Ada told the team.
"For a year and a half he was missing. Then I got a call and they said the DNA matched the first time and then the second time. I still did not believe it. Last November I buried him," she said.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Johanna Alvin
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
