Minefields and target practice: What life in recaptured Ukrainian territory is really like

Published

2 years ago

July 16, 2023

admin

In a moment of candour, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky said the counter-offensive has not gone exactly as planned.

“We must all understand very clearly, as clearly as possible, that Russian forces in our southern and eastern lands are doing everything they can in order to stop our soldiers.”

He was speaking in his nightly video address after meeting his commanders and suggested his forces were meeting determined resistance.

“And every thousand metres we advance, every success of every combat brigade deserves our gratitude,” he added.

Defence secretary to quit; Wagner troops cross border to Belarus – Ukraine latest

The fact that progress on the front is now measured in metres will come as a disappointment to many in the West – although experts say Ukraine has recaptured 253 square kilometres since 4 June.

It will also be greeted with sadness in communities up and down the front where residents are desperate to leave war behind.

We travelled to communities in the region of Zaporizhzhia that has been recently secured by the Ukrainians.

In the village of Storozheve the signs of war were impossible to ignore. The main street had been obliterated and farms and meadows have been repurposed by the military.

In a grassy ravine, we saw the members of an infantry unit learning how to fire rocket propelled grenades.

“Have you had a go?” said the commander. “Come,” he said, beckoning his troops.

Nearby we found a muddy clearing that had been turned into a garage for “automotive first aid”.

A team of grease-stained mechanics were working on a collection of vehicles that had been knocked out by Russian mines.

“The guys are working 24/7,” said Major Oleksii. “When something happens, we can fix it at any time.”

This open-air garage reflects new military realities as the Ukrainians try to push into enemy positions. The Russians have laid the world’s largest minefields, and armoured vehicles and tanks are taking the strain.

“Have the use of minefields changed the way that you use these vehicles?,” I asked Major Oleksii.

“Yes,” he replies. “It’s a pity to admit, but yes.

“They have mined this area extremely heavily. The Russians even blow themselves up. But it makes our operations much more difficult.”

Amid the wreckage, we found signs of everyday life, in the side-streets – and down by the river. A man used a net to fish from the bridge as artillery barrages boomed above him.

We heard the sound of voices behind a battered-looking gate and we asked if anyone was there.

Two neighbours appeared and introduced themselves. The younger of the two was called Nadezhda.

“What was it like when they were fighting for the village?,” I asked her.

“Well, constant shelling, constant shrapnel, glass and planks were flying around, and brick. Even asphalt flying in from the street and falling in the vegetable garden. There was a lot of everything.”

When asked why they stayed amid all the chaos, Alla, who hid in the cellar with her husband, said: “That’s because we were born here.”

“We stayed home. We are home.”

They told us that eight families had stayed through the worst of the fighting – a decision that reflects great courage. But their village lies in pieces and it may never be the same again.

World

Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

Published

7 hours ago

June 28, 2025

admin

Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

If Hungary’s authorities thought banning this year’s Pride march would keep people off the streets, they were wrong.

Thousands turned out in Budapest, defying a law which said LGBTQ+ events like this should be cancelled to protect children.

The crowd was determined to fight for their rights.

“This is a special march, not just because it was the 30th, but also because it was banned,” said Orsi, who proudly wore a rainbow headband and waved a rainbow flag.

“I mean that’s all the more reason to go out on the street and show that Budapest and Hungary is a place where everybody is welcome, where love is equal,” she added.

Attendees had been warned that just being there could mean a 500 euro fine or prison time for the organisers.

They were told police would use facial recognition cameras to identify them, but they didn’t care.

Orsi said it was worth a fine.

Leonas had travelled from Poland to show his support and was also happy to take the risk.

“LGBT rights are attacked across the whole world, and we need to defend each other and work with each other,” he said.

Viktor Orban’s government has repeatedly pitched family values against LGBTQ+ rights.

“The mother is a woman, the father is a man and leave our kids alone,” he told conservative audiences in the past.

He says he is protecting Hungary’s Christian values, but critics say this is just part of a wider attack on democracy which has happened during his 15 years in control.

The Pride ban is just the latest targeting of LGBTQ+ communities.

In 2020, the country abolished its legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021, politicians passed a law banning the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s.

While many were outraged by the attempt to cancel the Pride march, a small number of far-right activists organised demonstrations to show their support:

“Hungary and the Hungarian nation don’t want the aggressive LGBTQ+ propaganda. They are dangerous for our families, they are dangerous for our kids,” said Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement.

However, the packed streets showed many disagree.

At one point, as far as the eye could see, the march snaked through streets and across the city’s bridges. The sound of drums and whistles mixing with gay anthems blaring out of speakers.

The organisers said they believed this will be the largest Pride march ever in Budapest.

The crowd was eclectic, with Hungarians from different communities joining a demonstration which many believe is now part of a fight for Hungary’s future.

“This is not only about the complexity of Pride, not only about love or equality… for Hungarians, it’s about sticking together, supporting each other, showing the government that we believe in a different kind of Hungary. We believe in freedom, we believe in democracy,” said activist Adam Kanicsar.

Despite the ban, today Pride attendees were celebrating a victory. But make no mistake, many in Hungary do not support the parade or what they see as an attack on traditional values.

Next year, the country will hold a general election, a vote which will expose how divided Hungary really is.

World

Chants of ‘death to America’ at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

Published

7 hours ago

June 28, 2025

admin

Chants of 'death to America' at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran to mourn top military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Iran’s 12-day war with Israel.

State-run Press TV said the event – dubbed the “funeral procession of the Martyrs of Power” – was held for 60 people, including four women and four children.

It said at least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among the dead, including head of the Revolutionary Guard General Hossein Salami and the head of the guard’s ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Their coffins were driven to Azadi Square on trucks adorned with their pictures as well as rose petals and flowers, as crowds waved Iranian flags.

Chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” could be heard.

Attending the funeral were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures, including Ali Shamkhani who was seriously wounded during the fighting and is an adviser to Iran‘s supreme leader.

There was no immediate sign of the supreme leader in the state broadcast of the funeral.

Iran’s president later thanked people for turning out.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you dear people,” Mr Pezeshkian wrote on social media.

“With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of our homeland, and our voice of unity reached the ears of the world.”

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the deaths “hard and painful”.

Seemingly referencing the recent airstrikes, he added: “Institutions and structures, however important and valuable, return with new glory and greater strength over time, even if it takes years.”

Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said its attacks on Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

The US joined in by launching strikes on three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, which Donald Trump said left them “obliterated”, however the exact extent of the damage remains unclear.

Iran denies having a nuclear weapons programme and the UN nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons project.

Over almost two weeks of fighting, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, before a ceasefire began on Tuesday.