An oasis of peace overlooking Ukraine: “Yesterday we managed to escape from hell!” | International

Dozens of people relax on a beach. Calm waters with high salt content. Therapeutic muds. Sun that warms, but does not burn. Children’s races between colorful floats. Forgotten mothers of the world in a supine position on their towels… and, behind them, the roar of the engines of a convoy with various military vehicles. This caravan breaks up the almost idyllic scenery of this Sloviansk lake (whose name means city of salt) and reminds us that, about twenty kilometers away, are the trenches where Russians and Ukrainians fight.

“Yesterday we managed to escape from hell,” exclaims a young soldier with bare chest and an almost festive tone. He has a bullet and a Cossack tattoo on his chest which reads “for Ukraine, for her freedom”. He appears surrounded by several comrades, all from the Kiev region. Some are still wearing bathing suits. Others have already returned to green overalls after enjoying a leisurely afternoon in this part of the Donetsk region.

A stand for making temporary tattoos, a cafeteria, two massage tables, umbrellas, rental beds and, in between, groups of men in uniform who approach the water, undress and, some even in their underwear, dive. Mikola, 56 and originally from the city of Lutsk, is one of the oldest in the place. She acknowledges that she started fighting in 2015, at the beginning of the war in this eastern region of Ukraine, and that, now, she no longer accompanies her former comrades like her before her due to her age . “I’m a little older now, but I’m still protecting my country,” she clarifies as she, dressed in a khaki shirt and camo pants, waits for some of her colleagues to finish dressing on the sand.

This lake scene wouldn’t be at all Martian if it took place elsewhere, but the shock is a stark contrast to someone, like this journalist, who has just left Chasiv Yar, at the gates of Bakhmut’s hell. Just take a walk around the spa and dig a little among those who frequent the shore to understand that this relaxation is another way to survive.

“Here, in this particular place, no bombs have ever fallen,” clarifies reassuringly Viktor, a 71-year-old pensioner, sitting on the bottom, smearing mud at his joints. More than possible insecurity, this is his main concern, that of massaging himself with the black earth that he snatches from the bed with his hands. “I have been coming for treatment very often in the last 10 years. If you come shortly it doesn’t work. I try to come 10 days in a row and then I rest,” he details. Nothing is left behind: wrists, elbows, knees, shoulders… “This mud has many mineral properties,” he says.

Sloviansk was occupied by pro-Russian forces nine years ago and three months later, in July 2014, recaptured by the Kiev authorities. But in all this time, despite the serenity that Viktor shows in his mud bath, he hasn’t stopped being threatened and bombed. Since the Great Russian Invasion launched in February 2022, Sloviansk and nearby Kramatorsk have been a top target for the invaders. Today both are militarized cities that are resisting in the hands of the local army, despite Bakhmut, about 40 kilometers away, fell into Russian hands at the end of May after 10 months of bloody battle.

“It is very difficult for the body and mind to be in a perpetual state of alert,” says Amparo Villasmil, mental health manager at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Ukraine. This Venezuelan psychologist understands that these visits to the lake mean a way not to deny war or danger, but rather a manifest need to survive, a self-defense mechanism in the face of adversity. In the parking lot, the bonnet of a Lada is used to hold up the glasses, the beer and some clothes of another group who, before concluding the day of fun, ask to be photographed together as a souvenir. They claim to have come to swim directly from their stations, as if to say that there is something good about the position so close to the lake.

“You can go crazy without pleasures like this,” says Oleg, a 42-year-old member of the special forces who is looking forward to a new mission. A few crumbs from the kebab he eats slide down his chest onto the rosary he wears next to a medal of the Virgin and his blood type tag. “This serves to reduce psychological tension, it gives you a feeling of relief,” she thanks him.

According to the experience of Villasmil, who arrived in Ukraine last January, these communities located 20 or 25 kilometers from the front claim the “desire to be able to do something alive around that reality: traditions, walks, meetings with friends, activities with children… it’s also a way to support yourself in the group, in that community. Resuming all these activities helps to mitigate the impact (of the war), which is still there and we cannot deny it”. They are, he adds, moments that help them deal with post-traumatic stress and anxiety.

Viktor, the pensioner, says that this lake on the outskirts of the city of Sloviansk is the only one with all services, cafes and kiosks accessible to the population. “There’s another one beyond that, but it’s private and you have to pay. This is municipal and the facilities have improved a lot since 2018. Also, it’s good for children because it’s shallow,” he adds, throwing his hands up where the water level barely reaches half a meter. “Some people bring mud home in bags or cans, especially those that come from outside. There are other similar places, but they are in areas occupied by the Russians”. The slight movement of the pensioner’s hands draws waves on the surface which reflects a salt factory which stands with a large fireplace behind it.

“Humans end up adjusting, for better or for worse, in the midst of everyday life. Maintaining a permanent alert is very difficult and we need spaces or moments to relax. You have to be able to disconnect in the midst of the threat, the missiles, the alarms…”, explains the MSF psychologist. “We are all a little scared, but not as much as last year. If I have to run, I have my bike,” solves Viktor. Behind, a few tens of meters away, the domes of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ shine, witnesses of this oasis of peace at the gates of the war front.

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