Looking at the sky: how people live in Selidovo, liberated by the Russian army

Cities and towns liberated by the Russian army after the end of active fighting remain front-line for a long time. Gradually, when the situation begins to allow, civil authorities and law enforcement agencies appear here — harbingers of a return to peaceful life. But the military police units are the first to begin their work immediately after the sweep. About how people live today in the liberated Selidovo in the DPR and who ensures the safety of roads and the city itself — in the Izvestia report.

Frontline roads

Attacks by the enemy using kamikaze drones have become the main problem for the Russian front-line territories today. Now checkpoints are not just a place where documents are checked, but a full—fledged shelter from drones with their own air defense and electronic warfare (EW) systems. They stand every 20-30 km of the way.

Before leaving, our driver thinks for a long time about which route is the safest to travel today. According to him, if you haven't driven for several days, you should definitely check the situation with your colleagues — the situation on the roads is constantly changing here. It is pointless to rely on the navigator, it is not an assistant here — satellite signals are jammed in large areas.

Armored vehicles of various models, including new medical vehicles, are constantly seen on the road. Although the vast majority of cars here are pickups, jeeps, passenger cars and UAZ "loaves" that have become workhorses.

Previously, anti-drone nets and conveyor belt screens were a mandatory attribute of such machines. Now, many cars have lost their roofs, completely or partially, in order to provide a platform for our shooters to fire at aerial targets. According to the fighters, today only they are considered reliable protection. Shooters usually work in pairs, and at least one of them carries a hunting rifle.

It seems that this new military specialty, which Izvestia previously wrote about, is with us for a long time.

— We keep an eye on the sky, we work together with the EW. In particular, it is their equipment that gives us signals. In the event of an attack, we repel the enemy's UAVs by all possible means. The road is completely controlled by different departments in cooperation. Grids over some sections of the road also help. This allows for safer movement in frontline areas," Sergeant Nikolenko, a soldier from the security battalion, told Izvestia at a checkpoint at one of the entrances to Selidovo.

The situation in Selidovo

— After the liberation of Selidovo, we made a tour of the territory and examined the houses. Based on the condition of the people or at will, they were evacuated to other settlements, where they received assistance. But at the same time, we had to clear houses from the remaining "sleeping" enemy groups in the city," recalls a fighter on duty at the checkpoint with the call sign Artist.

Together with the fighters, we enter the city itself, get to a busy large intersection and hear the "air alert" signal. Immediately, the shooters scatter to their positions, and a military policeman orders them not to linger in the area. Therefore, we decide to drive off to the ruins, which are located away from this place, in order to hide the car.

We walk through the center of Selidovo together with the foot patrol of the commandant's office. It's daytime, and locals with bags and bottles of water in their hands are moving around the street in small groups. After talking to some of them, we learned that most of them have already issued Russian documents and pensions, but they cannot withdraw money, as well as use online banking: there is no light or Internet. The local economy here is based on cash payments, so many residents are wondering when banks in the city will start operating.

People congratulate the servicemen accompanying us on Victory Day and wish them a new victory soon.

What are people afraid of in frontline cities

When I talk to people, I find out that not everyone is ready to talk on camera. When asked why, they answer that they are afraid. One is that the video clips of their interviews are then used by Ukrainian propaganda, which cuts out scenes with civilians and reinterprets them in its own way. Others are that the enemy's artillery will purposefully destroy the homes of those who are identified by the plots, and UAVs will hunt them.

But the brave souls are still there. Irina is the first in a group of four people to speak. According to her, there is shooting almost every day, and she feels the apartment shaking. Following her example, others quickly join the conversation.

— The warriors give us food and medicine, they help us. But we don't have light or water. Fortunately, we have a spring in Selidovo — as they say, "The Lord's water", krinitsa. People have made wells, and it saves," explains pensioner Lyubov.

Military policemen lead us to a building destroyed by the hits of several guided aerial bombs. It was the main center for issuing aid and receiving the population in the city, which was deliberately destroyed by Ukrainian militants.

At the time of the liberation of the city, more than 2,000 civilians remained in Selidovo. Of these, about 1,000 immediately expressed a desire to evacuate to the rear areas of the DPR, and about 1,000 more continue to be in the city, said Lieutenant Colonel Polishchuk, military commander of the 5th military commandant's office.

— You can see the first humanitarian aid delivery point. The Ukrainian scoundrels spent two bombs on him. Two soldiers of the commandant's office, who were engaged in the delivery of humanitarian aid, died here," he recalls bitterly.

Now there are hundreds of civilians in the city, for whom a pension fund, a civil administration, police departments and migration services have already been opened. Peaceful life is slowly returning here.