Video - Wildfires Ravage Canada's Alberta, Force Evacuation of 30,000 Residents

Nearly 30,000 people were evacuated in Alberta, Canada by the end of the weekend as more than 100 wildfires rage on. Almond Li reports.

Western Canada is grappling with a severe wildfire crisis as more than 100 active blazes rage across the region, where upwards of 960,000 acres were left charred. Officials have stated the intensity of the fires will serve as a preview of what's to come for the US.

Canadian authorities recently issued a round of evacuation orders as numerous uncontrolled wildfires in the Alberta province reached a new level of intensity, effectively prompting the displacement of approximately 30,000 individuals in the area.

Amid the escalating emergency, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith declared a state of emergency on Saturday, describing the situation as "unprecedented."

Alberta, known for being one of the world's largest oil-producing regions, "has been experiencing a hot, dry spring and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires," Smith said.

With an abundance of dry vegetation, even a small spark can ignite formidable and terrifying blazes.

Alberta Wildfires 🙏 #Wildfires
.#AlbertaWildfires #Edmonton #Banff #breaking #ABFires #abpoli #fire #AlbertaStrong #trucking #Evacuation #Canada #RoadSafety pic.twitter.com/sXb9G4LADX

— 401_da_sarpanch (@401_da_sarpanch) May 8, 2023

Christie Tucker, spokesperson for Alberta's wildfire agency, shared that light showers in the southern part of the province on Sunday offered some respite.

Firefighters were able to access areas previously unreachable due to the extreme behavior of the fires. Nevertheless, conditions in the northern regions of Alberta remain extremely challenging.

"Our priorities today have been and always are wildfires that are threatening communities or human lives," Tucker emphasized.

Colin Blair, chief of Alberta Emergency Management, publicly acknowledged the difficulty in assessing property damage in certain areas as a result of "the ongoing smoke and fire conditions."

In Fox Lake, located in northern Alberta, an immense fire left a trail of destruction in its wake. Twenty homes, a store, and even a police station were reduced to ashes. The severity of the situation prompted the evacuation of some residents by boat and helicopter.

A look at the wildfire currently burning in Edmonton. Canada has been busy. #wildfire #Canadian pic.twitter.com/VnarbGd5s0

— The Hotshot Wake Up (@HotshotWake) May 1, 2023

Meanwhile, in neighboring British Columbia, two out-of-control wildfires forced residents to flee their homes. Authorities earlier issued warnings, stating strong winds in the upcoming days were expected to further exacerbate the blazes.

Over the past few years, western Canada has been plagued by extreme weather events. In 2016, forest fires in the oil sands region disrupted production and made 100,000 residents of Fort McMurray to evacuate, a feat that went on to severely impact the nation's economy.

In 2021, westernmost British Columbia experienced record-breaking temperatures that claimed the lives of over 500 individuals, accompanied by wildfires that decimated an entire town. The region was subsequently devastated by destructive floods and mudslides.

As the wildfires continue to wreak havoc and efforts to contain and extinguish the flames remain ongoing, authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant, follow evacuation orders, and prioritize their safety.

Many residents and oil workers rode to safety in motorhomes or with campers in tow, and set up in empty parking lots. Others are staying with friends or family, like Jerry Greiner, a resident from Dayton Valley, west of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta.

"We could see the smoke on Friday and there was a pretty strong wind," the 55-year-old told AFP, his eyes tearing up as he recounted receiving the order to evacuate that night.

"We quickly grabbed our bags (and went) to our friends' house. About 12 people stayed there," he said. This marked the first time he has ever had to flee wildfires.

Dayton Valley, a small town of 7,000, was completely abandoned. Trees and grass fields all around were blackened by the fires, and smoke billowed from a few charred buildings, but most of the homes appeared intact, observed an AFP reporter.

Smoke Shrouds Alberta, Canada, as Crews Battle Ongoing Wildfires

Timelapse satellite imagery posted by CIRA shows thick smoke across Alberta from Friday to Monday morning.

On Saturday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith declared a state of emergency due to the wildfires, calling it “a difficult and stressful time for many Albertans.”

By Monday morning, 105 active wildfires were burning in the province, according to official fire information.

A wildfire burns near Edson, Alta. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 108 active fires spread across Alberta, with 31 classified as out-of-control. (Alberta Wildfire)

Conditions remain volatile as officials say the extent of damage is difficult to determine as the situation develops.

An incident management team from B.C. arrived Sunday to take over the wildfire near Edson and the Pembina complex in the northern Rocky Mountain House area.

Firefighters from Ontario and Québec arrived in the province Saturday and have been deployed to assist in various regions.

Overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, five to 12 millimetres of rain was recorded in some of most affected areas such as Edson, Hinton and Jasper.

Scattered showers are expected to continue throughout Sunday afternoon, with some heavy localized rainfall of between five to 10 millimetres.

Declaring a state of emergency is a legal mechanism that provides the provincial government with a higher level of intergovernmental co-ordination by working with municipalities, organizations and businesses to support evacuated residents.

It also allows around-the-clock monitoring of the situation, access to emergency discretionary funds and the ability to mobilize additional support.

Yellen is calling CEOs personally to warn on US debt ceiling, sources say

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen discusses "U.S.-China Economic Relationship" during a forum hosted by the Johns Hopkins University at the Nitze Building in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File Photo

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is reaching out to U.S. business and financial leaders to explain the "catastrophic" impact a U.S. default on its debt would have on the U.S. and global economies, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The Treasury secretary is having one-on-one conversations with individual CEOs to warn them about the "dangerous consequences of the current brinkmanship," one of the sources said.

The sources declined to name the CEOs with whom Yellen had spoken in recent days, or provide any other details about their conversations, but one said they included executives in the financial sector and broader economy.

While the sources did not spell out her purpose, Biden administration officials have been speaking to business owners about pressuring Republicans to raise the debt ceiling without conditions.

The Treasury secretary delayed a planned trip to Japan for this week's Group of Seven finance ministers meeting to appear on the ABC News program "This Week" on Sunday, where she warned the failure of Congress to raise the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling could trigger a "constitutional crisis."

Talks on the issue should not take place "with a gun to the head of the American people," Yellen said in a pointed reference to Republican lawmakers' insistence on tying a debt-ceiling increase to sweeping spending cuts that Democrats oppose.

Yellen is now slated to leave for Japan this week and will hold a news conference in Niigata, Japan, on Thursday before the G7 meeting.

Yellen, other economists and analysts have repeatedly warned that a default on U.S. debt would result in millions of job losses, while driving household payments on mortgages, auto loans and credit cards higher.

Unlike most other developed countries, the U.S. puts a hard limit on how much it can borrow. Because the government spends more than it takes in, lawmakers must periodically raise the debt ceiling.

Video - Russian Assault Team Storms Building During Battle for Artemovsk

©Sputnik /Evgeny Biyatov /Go to the mediabank

While Kiev regime continues to throw its men and equipment into the meat grinder that is the battle for Artemovsk (Bakhmut), its desperate attempts to hold the city are rendered futile by the courage and determination of the advancing Russian troops.

The following video shows but one episode of the ongoing battle for Artemovsk. It involves a Russian assault team clearing a building near a medical college in the western part of the city.

In the footage, the assault team can be seen entering the structure and advancing through it, firing their assault rifles in short bursts at unseen targets, using grenades to clear rooms and warning their comrades about spotted booby traps.

Having sacrificed hundreds, if not thousands of men and tons of military equipment in the defense of Artemovsk, the Ukrainian forces continue to lose ground in the city while the advancing Russian troops prove to be highly successful in evicting Zelensky regime’s militants from the premises.

The Russian Armed Forces have stormed a building near a medical school in the west of Artemovsk (Bakhmut)

The FSB, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stopped an attempt at sabotage, planned by Ukrainian intelligence, at an airfield in the Ivanovo region using drones. The object was A-50 radar detection and control aircraft.

According to the FSB CSO, a sabotage group was detected on the territory of Russia, coordinated and led by employees of the special services of Ukraine. Improvised explosive devices for sabotage were planned to be delivered from Ukraine on a light aircraft from the Chernihiv region.

As a result of organized control over the flight, the pilot, as well as members of the DRG, recruited by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, were detained after landing in the Tula region at the time of the transfer of weapons, the FSB said.

Special operation, May 7th. Main:

▪️The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that at night over the Black Sea, air defense detected 22 Ukrainian strike drones, all of them were destroyed;

▪️In the Kupyansk and Krasnolymansk directions, Kyiv lost more than 160 militants per day, over 340 in the Donetsk direction, and up to 55 people in the South-Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, the ministry said;

▪️Prigozhin said that Wagner would receive ammunition and weapons, and General Surovikin would oversee the interaction of the group with the Ministry of Defense;

▪️Operation "Bakhmut meat grinder", which was carried out in Artemovsk by the "Wagner" group, completed the task, Prigozhin added;

▪️The Governor of Sevastopol Razvozhaev said that the air defense forces and electronic warfare equipment of the Russian Federation repelled an attack by Ukrainian UAVs on the city at night;

▪️Emergency services of the Zaporizhia region reported that two residents of the village of Bogatoe were killed as a result of shelling by Ukrainian troops of the Pologovsky district;

▪️The situation in the area of ​​the Zaporozhye NPP is becoming more unpredictable and potentially dangerous, said IAEA Director General Grossi;

▪️In the plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye region, there is an attempt to seize the nuclear power plant, Rogov said.

Special operation, May 8th. Main:

▪️The Russian Su-34 hit with guided bombs at the deployment point of foreign mercenaries in the Kharkiv region, RIA Novosti was told in the Russian Defense Ministry;

The Russian Lancet drone destroyed the American Avenger air defense system in the NMD zone, which the Pentagon recently sent to Kyiv to protect against UAVs

▪️Two sabotage and reconnaissance groups were destroyed in the Kupyansk direction, three attempts to rotate Ukrainian troops at the forefront were thwarted, the Russian Defense Ministry also reported;

▪️The court arrested for two months Alexander Permyakov, accused of attempted assassination of the writer Zakhar Prilepin, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation reported;

▪️Prilepin said that he was warned back in 2017 that Ukrainian saboteurs wanted to eliminate him;

▪️Budanov's words about the murder of Russians "anywhere in the world until the complete victory of Ukraine" confirm the correctness of the start of the SVO, Peskov said;

▪️Fighters of the Wagner group advanced 130 meters in Artemovsk on Monday, 2.36 square kilometers remain under enemy control, Prigozhin said.

Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Russian assault units continue to attack in the western part of Artemovsk;

▪️Russian troops in the LPR destroyed up to 55 Ukrainian soldiers, three tanks and five armored vehicles;

Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka first came under attack by their own aircraft, and then by Russian aircraft, a fighter of the Southern Group of Forces told RIA Novosti

▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR and the Zaporozhye region;

▪️Russian troops destroyed up to 70 Ukrainian military in the south of the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️Russian troops destroyed up to 70 military units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Krasny Liman in a day;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed two Ukrainian ammunition depots in the DPR;

▪️Russian troops in the DPR destroyed more than 380 soldiers and three howitzers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces in the Kharkov region hit a warehouse with weapons and military equipment of a group of troops of the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

▪️Russian air defense systems destroyed 15 Ukrainian UAVs in a day.

Russian snipers destroyed a Ukrainian fire spotter in Marinka in the DPR. How this happened, in an interview with RIA Novosti, one of them with the call sign "Alpha" told.

A number of Ukrainian military registration and enlistment offices that existed in the territories of Donbass controlled by Kyiv were equipped with special cameras to “persuade” local residents to serve in the Ukrainian army. Such a cell was also in the military registration and enlistment office of the currently liberated Severodonetsk, a Russian soldier told RIA Novosti and showed her interior.

Turkiye rejects US proposal to send Russian air defenses to Ukraine

The US had proposed that Turkey send to Ukraine the S-400 air defense system it bought from Russia, but Ankara refused, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday.

Turkey has refused the U.S.'s suggestion to give Ukraine its advanced S-400 air defense system it bought from Russia, Turkish news outlet Lodos Haber reported on May 7.

Defense Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu argued that the U.S.'s offer directly concerns Turkish sovereignty.

The U.S. has been trying to convince countries that operate Russian missiles like S-300 and S-400 to consider giving some to Ukraine.

“The US asked us to send the S-400s to Ukraine, and we said no,” Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was cited as saying by state news agency Anadolu, and he added that such proposals were unacceptable as they sought to infringe on Turkish sovereignty.

Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 has been a point of contention with the US and NATO for years, as they cited concerns that it would compromise the security and interoperability of NATO's military operations. The US and NATO have warned Turkey that the S-400 system is not compatible with NATO's defense systems and could expose sensitive information to Russia.

The S-400 was developed in post-Soviet Russia, and is a more advanced and capable version of the S-300, which Ukraine extensively operates, but for which the interceptor missiles are limited.

As a result of Turkey's refusal to back down from the deal, the US has taken several punitive measures, including suspending Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 and imposing sanctions on Turkish officials and entities involved in the purchase of the S-400.

The ongoing dispute has strained the relationship between Turkey and its NATO allies and raised questions about Turkey's strategic alignment in the region.

Asked about a possible return to the F-35 program, Çavuşoğlu said: “Ankara does not want to return to the program but rather wants back from Washington the money it paid for fighter jets before it was out of the program, while its jets were never delivered.”

He added that Turkey wants to improve its ties with the US, pointed to its current interest in buying F-16 jets and modernization kits.

Though a NATO member, Turkiye has attempted to remain neutral in the Ukraine-Russia war, given Ankara’s close economic ties with Russia.

According to Soner Cagaptay of the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), “Ankara’s Ukraine war policy could be best described as non-binary. On the one hand, Turkiye supports Ukraine militarily, providing Kiev with essential defensive and attack hardware, such as the Bayraktar drones. On the other hand, Turkiye has kept ties with Russia open economically, gifting Moscow with crucial access to global trade, markets, and airspace.

Turkiye also brokered a deal between Ukraine and Russia to keep grain exports flowing to world markets despite the conflict and facilitated peace negotiations between the two warring sides in the first month of the war. However, Washington and London derailed these.

The Pentagon reportedly spoke with Ankara about sending the S-400 to Kiev in exchange for giving Turkiye access to the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet program and lifting sanctions imposed when Turkiye initially purchased the S-400 system from Russia over US objections.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already alleged that the request to supply Ukraine with its S-400 missile systems in exchange for sanctions relief was “a ploy against Ankara to stir up problems for the country.”

Tim Voli Putra Meraih Emas SEA Games 2023

Timnas Voli putra Indonesia melakukan selebrasi usai mengalahkan Timnas Voli putra Vietnam saat pertandingan semi final voli SEA Games 2023 di Phnom Penh, Kamboja, Minggu (7/5/2023). Foto: Muhammad Adimaja/ANTARA FOTO

Tim voli putra Indonesia menambah perolehan emas SEA Games setelah berhasil mengalahkan Kamboja di final SEA Games 2023 pada hari Senin malam, 08/05/2023 malam WIB di Olympic Complex Indoor Stadium, Phnom Penh.

Superioritas tim Voli putra Indonesia sangat jelas terlihat dengan menunjukkan dominasinya sejak awal hingga akhir pertandingan dengan kemenangan telak 3-0 (25-21, 25-10, dan 25-15) dan berhasil meraih medali emas ke-22 dari cabang olahraga voli.

Indonesia tampil determinatif sejak set pertama dengan melancarkan serangan yang mengakibatkan Kamboja kesulitan untuk bermain. Namun, Kamboja tetap memberikan perlawanan yang sengit dan mencoba untuk mengejar ketertinggalannya

Indonesia melaju jauh di awal dengan memimpin 6-3. Kamboja kemudian memperkecil skor setelah smash dari Farhan Hali diblok. Namun, pemain Kamboja kemudian gagal melakukan servis sehingga membuat Indonesia memimpin 7-4.

Indonesia sempat unggul enam poin dengan skor 16-10. Namun, Kamboja perlahan memperkecil menjadi 13-16.

Para pemain tim voli putra Indonesia merayakan kemenangan 3-0 dari Kamboja dan meraih medali emas SEA Games 2023, Senin, 8 Mei 2023.

Jarak Indonesia dengan Kamboja sempat terpangkas menjadi dua poin. Situasi pertandingan pun semakin panas menjelang akhir set pertama.

Farhan membuat Indonesia dalam posisi set poin setelah smash-nya tak bisa dibendung. Farhan menjadi bintang di set pertama dengan blok-nya membuat Indonesia menang 25-21.

Di set kedua, Indonesia kembali menunjukkan dominasinya tanpa kesulitan berarti dan berhasil menguasai permainan dengan skor sementara 9-0. Poin pertama Kamboja baru datang setelah servis meleset dari Farhan, tapi Indonesia langsung mendapat poin lagi untuk memimpin 10-1.

Farhan sangat memukau saat mengambil servis. Ace secara beruntun dibuat Farhan hingga mengantarkan Indonesia memimpin 19-7.

Indonesia pada akhirnya mampu merebut set kedua dengan skor 25-10. Poin tersebut didapat setelah Hernanda sukses melakukan blok. 2-0 Indonesia memimpin.

Pada set ketiga, Kamboja mencoba meningkatkan pola permainannya dengan serangan yang lebih berbahaya. Namun, Indonesia tetap tampil dominan dan berhasil unggul dengan skor 13-5. Meskipun Kamboja terus berusaha untuk mengejar ketertinggalannya, Indonesia berhasil meraih kemenangan dengan skor 25-15 dan memastikan medali emas di SEA Games 2023.

Secara keseluruhan, Indonesia menunjukkan performa yang sangat baik di final voli putra dengan menaklukan Kamboja dan meraih medali emas. Ini adalah prestasi yang membanggakan bagi Indonesia dan menunjukkan bahwa Indonesia memiliki atlet voli yang sangat berbakat.

Medali perunggu direbut oleh Vietnam. Mereka mengalahkan Thailand 3-0 dalam perebutan tempat ketiga.

Ukraine Claims Kiev Targeted With Heaviest Attack Since Launch of Special Op

©SERGEI SUPINSKY

The capital was reportedly hit by the strongest air attack since the beginning of the Russian special military operation Ukrainian media has reported a series of powerful explosions around the country, including Kiev, on Sunday night.

Authorities in the capital stated that a tank with diesel fuel was damaged in the Solomensky district. Explosions and fires were also reported in Odessa.

"This is the most massive attack (…) on our city," Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The attacks come after Ukraine organized a number of terrorist hits on Russian territory, including the recent drone attack on the Kremlin that was thwarted by Russian security services.

Zelensky's followers also made an attempt on Russian politician and writer Zakhar Prilepin, blasting his car on a highway in Nizhny Novgorod region. The driver was killed, while Prilepin was seriously injured. At the same time, the chief of Kiev's military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov said they will proceed with "killing Russians."

As Moscow top investigator Alexander Bastrykin explained, this strategy only confirms that terrorism is a "typical style of Ukrainian nationalists." Since October 2022 Russia has been carrying out precision strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, defense industry and military command facilities in retaliation for a terrorist attack on the Crimea Bridge.

In past months, air raid alerts have sounded in Ukrainian regions every day, sometimes throughout the country.

Fire at warehouse in Odessa Region covers over 6,000 square meters - Ukrainian military

A fire broke out an enterprise warehouse in Ukraine’s Odessa region after several explosions happened there, which currently covers over 6,000 square meters, Ukrainian armed forces' Southern operational command spokeswoman Natalya Gumenyuk said Monday.

"A fire broke out there, covering over 6,000 square meters," she said on Ukrainian TV.

During the night, explosions were reported in Odessa and the region. Later, the Southern operational command reported a fire at an enterprise warehouse, located on the Black Sea coast.

Russian Su-34 Bomber Strikes Foreign Mercenaries in Kharkov Region

A Russian Su-34 frontline bomber has struck at the deployment point of foreign mercenaries in the Kharkov region with guided bombs, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson told Sputnik.

"The crew of a Su-34 fighter-bomber, using universal modules for planning and correcting aerial bombs, struck at a temporary deployment point of foreign mercenaries near the village of Ivanovka [Ivanivka]," the spokesperson said.

In addition, in the Kupyansk direction, Russia forces have located and destroyed two Ukrainian sabotage reconnaissance groups and have thwarted three attempts of enemy troop rotation, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also told Sputnik that a combat vehicle of the Osa anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed using the Lancet precision loitering munition near the village of Velykyi Burluk. An Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer used by Ukrainian troops was also destroyed by Russian forces.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.

On September 30, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, signed agreements on the accession of these territories to Russia, following referendums that showed that an overwhelming majority of the local population supported becoming part of Russia.

Western countries have significantly increased their economic and military support for Kiev, which now includes air defense and multiple rocket launching systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery, anti-aircraft guns, armored vehicles and various types of ammunition. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in January that arms supplies to Ukraine by Western countries testify to their direct and growing involvement in the conflict.

The liberation of Soledar has been one of the Russian Army’s biggest successes in 2023. Artillery battles in the Donbass town started in May of last year, but the eventual storming of the city happened quickly – having launched an offensive in January 2023, PMC Wagner fighters forced the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) to retreat in less than a month. 

However, Soledar is still far from ready for a return to peaceful life – the town is located on the front line and suffers constant attacks from the Ukrainian side. RT's special correspondent Arseniy Kotov traveled there recently to see how it was faring, despite being the epicenter of fierce battles a short while ago.  

The road to Soledar

The route to Soledar lies through Pervomaisk, situated on the western outskirts of the Lugansk People's Republic. Ukraine lost control over this city in 2014. Since then, it has more or less returned to normal life with over 30,000 current residents, but locals are also accustomed to the war and regular shelling. Located about 60km (40 miles) from Soledar, I was met here by the security staff of PMC Wagner.

Although Pervomaisk also frequently suffers from Ukrainian strikes, it was the first stop on the road to safety for hundreds of refugees fleeing Soledar.

We drove on in a Wagner Group armored vehicle, moving past the post-apocalyptic landscapes of Popasnaya. This town – with a population of over 20,000 – was once in the immediate vicinity of the front line and was fortified by the AFU since 2014. However, by the beginning of 2022, only about four thousand residents remained, and over the past year, the vast majority of those also left.

The aftermath of the war is evident everywhere – not just in cities and towns, but even in the countryside. The roads are littered with the remains of tanks and military equipment, most of them left behind by the Ukrainian army. 

When we finally arrived, the destination looked just as bleak as the route. As the road made another turn, we got our first view of the residential districts of Soledar. AFU troops were positioned here for several months, but even after their retreat, the Ukrainians didn’t stop attacking the city’s residential neighborhoods.

At the entrance to the city, we immediately noticed an extensive network of trenches dug between the basements of apartment buildings. AFU troops used these basements as dugouts even as civilians continued living in some of the apartments above. 

Ghost city

Today, practically no civilians remain in Soledar. Most people left last year. The few remaining residents waited for the Russian army to enter the city and were then evacuated to other parts of the country.

Locals had to muster all their courage to wait for the arrival of the soldiers. Even the deserted city shows evidence of the hostility towards the population. Some house walls and fences bear the inscription, “For traitors – suitcase, railway station, Russia.” This is one of the popular slogans that Ukrainian nationalists address to Russians in lands which previously belonged to Kiev.

One of the Wagner fighters told me: “When we entered Soledar, to our surprise, there were still many civilians left in the city. The Ukrainians offered to evacuate everyone, but only in one direction – to Ukraine. They said they’d shoot anyone in the back who wanted to go to [other parts of] Russia. So people waited for us in basements. We evacuated them by buses at night. During the day it was too dangerous to evacuate, because after retreating, the enemy attacked the city with doubled vengeance. Psychological help was provided to all evacuees, and they were given temporary accommodation in Pervomaisk and other cities of the Lugansk People’s Republic. Only two people refused to evacuate. They still live in this five-storey apartment building on the fourth floor.”