Alexei (61) was wounded by debris in September 2014. He had to go to the hospital and when he wanted to go back home with his wife they were stopped at the check point. Later they sneaked in but weren't detected. Then they returned home at the end of March. 'We will live, we have to live. We have to plant potatoes, carrots, cabbages, not for us but for our children and grandchildren. The prices in stores are so terribly high, one can't afford to buy anything. And I want that my grandchildren will eat their fill.'
Since April 2014, the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk have been embroiled in a military stand-off between the Ukrainian national army and armed separatists rebels, widely believed to be armed by Russia and assisted by thousands of Russian volunteers and regular forces. By April 2015, over 6,100 people had lost their lives in the fighting, with civilians bearing the brunt of wide ranging fighting.