Lured Back by a Cease-Fire, but Not Feeling at Home Yet
The bus station is bustling once again, with families unloading children, pets and bulging bags while waiting for connecting routes. Many are returning to Donetsk and surrounding areas after escaping the intense bombardment of the last few months, prompted by the announcement of a cease-fire but also by more prosaic things, like retrieving warm clothes and the return to school.
“We heard about the cease-fire,” said Oksana, a mother with a young baby who was rejoining her husband and family after a month away. “They said it is quiet now. There’s no shooting.”
“It is getting cold, and the children have to go to school,” said another woman, who like others interviewed for this article refused to give her surname for fear of retribution. “They promised there would be classes.”
More: Lured Back by a Cease-Fire, but Not Feeling at Home Yet