Jittery Ukrainian villagers ‘fear that a big war will start’ – By Inna Varenytsia & Yuras Karmanau (Associated Press) / December 16, 2021
The seven-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine has all but emptied the village of Nevelske located near the line of contact between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces
NEVELSKE, Ukraine — Liudmyla Momot wipes away tears as she searches for clothes and household items to salvage from the ruins of her home that was shelled by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Her village of Nevelske, northwest of the rebel-held city of Donetsk, is only about three kilometers (two miles) from the line of contact between the separatists and the Ukrainian military and has been emptied of all but five people.
Small arms fire frequently is heard in the daytime, giving way to the booms of light artillery and mortar shelling after dusk.
With the bloody conflict now more than seven years old, there are fears in Ukraine and the West that a buildup of armed forces on Russia’s side of the border could lead to an invasion or the resumption of full-scale hostilities.
