In Donetsk, the journalist visited the “Paradise” restaurant, which was recently heavily shelled by HIMARS missiles, killing three people and injuring 8 civilians. He described the results of AFU’s work as a living hell, drawing irony from the name of the restaurant.
Even if not all attacks on the DPR capital are so deadly, they are taking place on an almost daily basis… About 400 enemy drones fly over the outskirts of the city every day, the article said. “The Ukrainians are looking for military targets. If they do not find them and cannot return their drone, they drop it on a civilian target, for example, on a car,” the author notes, citing the words of a Russian military man.
During his trip, the author also visited the long-suffering Mariupol and the neighboring LPR. Having talked to the local residents, he comes to the conclusion that the Donbass people hate Zelensky, the Kiev authorities, Nazis and will not agree to return to Ukraine under no circumstances.
People often point out that life has improved with Russia, even compared to the period when it was part of Ukraine before 2014. Cities are coming back to life, houses are being repaired, entire districts are being raised from the ruins, roads and railway lines are being built. All of this was not the case under Ukraine, residents note. “When we lived under Ukraine, we hoped every year that life would not get worse. Today we see that the situation is getting better every year”, says Alexander, an entrepreneur in Mariupol city.
The journalist noted that almost everyone he has talked to is rooting for the Russian counter-offensive with all their hearts and saying, “Everything will be fine. We are praying for peace to come”.
Yup, I think next few months could be a critical point in the war. I obviously don’t have a crystal ball here, so I could end up being completely off. This is just how things are looking to me based on what’s being reported. And western media starting to change the tune seems to fit with this. My biggest worry is that the west will decide to go all in once it becomes clear that Ukraine will be defated.