Displaced Ukrainian citizens from Donbas oppose becoming pawns in the pursuit of peace.
In the heart of Ukraine, a woman from Lugansk stands firm against the idea of giving up her home in any peace deal. She has fled twice due to Russian control and invasion, and the thought of abandoning her homeland is a bitter pill to swallow.
Elsewhere, Konstyantin Reutsky from Lugansk voices similar sentiments, stating that proposing territorial concessions is not just unfriendly, but akin to being an accomplice of the robber. This sentiment is shared by many, as a significant proportion of Ukrainians, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), are willing to make concessions for peace, but only a third, up from just 10% three years earlier.
The Russian invasion has forced more than 10 million Ukrainians to flee their homes, with approximately 3.7 million remaining displaced within Ukraine. Among these displaced residents, most oppose any concessions, according to KIIS director Anton Grushetskyi.
One such displaced individual is Sosnovsky, a 58-year-old refugee from Donbas who had never left Mariupol until it was invaded by Russian forces in 2022. Sosnovsky, an amateur photographer, hid rolls of film from the Russian soldiers during the siege. The rest of his belongings and home were burned. Despite being in Kyiv for more than three years, Sosnovsky still struggles with feeling cut off from his native Mariupol.
Sosnovsky has come to terms with the idea that Ukraine might accept Russian control of occupied territory, but he strongly opposes ceding land that Ukraine still controls. He has bought a new dacha (country cottage) to the west of Kyiv, but he still clutches the chain of keys to his previous life in the east, which remind him of home and keep him going.
The Russian siege of Mariupol in the initial stages of the war destroyed almost the entire city, killing several thousand civilians according to Kyiv and independent rights groups. Photos taken by Sosnovsky depict the streets of Mariupol filled with corpses. One picture shows a blooming garden, where he buried his brother-in-law.
Meanwhile, Russian-installed authorities have expropriated the abandoned home of a former human rights activist who joined the army after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. This act of seizure is a stark reminder of the disregard for law and justice, a sentiment echoed by Reutsky.
Not everyone is against concessions, however. The US President Donald Trump suggested Kyiv would have to make such concessions for the war to end. However, the majority of those from the Donetsk region, according to a UN survey, want to return home.
In the face of such adversity, the spirit of Ukraine remains unbroken. The people, like Sosnovsky, cling to their homes, their memories, and their land, refusing to let go despite the hardships they have faced. Their resilience serves as a testament to the strength of the Ukrainian people.
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