Cycling on the frontline: The Ukrainians defying danger in the Donetsk war zone

Cyclists in Toretsk
Cyclists in Toretsk Copyright AFP Screen Capture
Copyright AFP Screen Capture
By Richard Good
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

Toretsk is on the frontline of the war in Ukraine, yet cyclists pedal around the streets, going about their daily business as if defying the surrounding danger.

ADVERTISEMENT

Toretsk is on the frontline of Ukraine's war with Russia, yet all around you can see cyclists pedalling around the streets, going about their daily business as if defying the surrounding danger. 

Oleksandr is a former miner. "How am I supposed to drive?" he says. "Petrol is expensive, I have nothing to drive. And I need to get around."

It's a similar picture in Kramatorsk. Those who remain are not oblivious of the risks, they've accepted them.

"I would prefer, if anything happens, to die immediately," says Volodymyr. "So that you don't become disabled afterwards."

It's estimated that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have chosen to remain in the threatened regions of Donetsk, despite government orders to evacuate.

Watch the report in the video player above.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

Ukraine war: The latest developments linked to Russia's invasion this weekend

Amnesty International's Ukraine chief quits in protest at 'Russian propaganda' report

Ukraine uses US long-range missiles for first time as talks held over displaced children