{"id":163205,"date":"2026-09-18T15:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/chomu-nevyizhdzhaiete\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T17:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T14:48:34","slug":"why-dont-you-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/en\/why-dont-you-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Why Don\u2019t You Leave?\u2019 \u2014 \u2018Where Would We Go?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the full-scale invasion, roughly 55,000 people lived in Druzhkivka. Factories ran, shops opened, schools and hospitals functioned. Today, about 2,500 civilians remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I first got to know Druzhkivka in July 2023, after transferring to a new unit and moving here from Kostiantynivka. The contrast between the two towns was striking. Back then, Kostiantynivka seemed entirely given over to the military; civilian life was nearly invisible. Druzhkivka, by comparison, was humming with activity: well-kept playgrounds, parents out with their children, plenty of young people. Despite being so close to the front line, the town still felt normal. The atmosphere was calmer, warmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It stayed that way until the spring of 2025, when Russian FPV drones began making regular runs over the town and glide-bomb strikes grew more frequent. People started leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005-670x448.jpg 670w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6005-245x162.jpg 245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I returned to document Druzhkivka in July and August 2026. The destruction was deepening by the day, and the threat from above was growing more acute. Driving in is dangerous, though many units have no choice for operational reasons. Most people move around on foot. In some cases, soldiers have even resorted to riding on ground-based robotic platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By August, the situation had deteriorated significantly. Soldiers say two dozen crews from Russia\u2019s \u201cRubicon\u201d uncrewed systems unit began operating in this sector. Now, walking through town, you have to duck under trees every hundred meters to hide from drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The situation is worst around the bridges over the Kryvyi Torets River and the Kostiantynivka\u2013Kramatorsk highway. Enemy drones lurk there, waiting to catch our vehicles on the turns as drivers slow down. The bridge over the Kryvyi Torets is already half-destroyed; its total collapse would severely complicate our military logistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mobile firepower teams are doing solid work \u2014 they\u2019ve saved more than a few lives. Equal credit goes to the crews stringing up anti-drone netting. It is relentless labor under brutal conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One minute you\u2019re pulling netting and tightening the steel cables that hold it up; the next, you\u2019re standing with a weapon, scanning the sky for a drone you can hear long before you see it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nets are critical. They saved us once between Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka. An enemy FPV got tangled in the mesh and failed to reach us, detonating just a short distance away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later that same day, on our way back, we were walking toward our guys, who were supposed to pick us up. There was no cell service. They had driven a few hundred meters past the agreed rendezvous point. Meanwhile, we were actively shooting back at drones \u2014 two or three were hovering in the sky nearby. One spotted our car and made a run for it. But luck was on our side. It missed by five to seven meters, crashing 60 meters away from us and merely blowing out the car\u2019s windows. We might have clipped it. The main thing was that the guys were unhurt: they managed to tumble out of the vehicle and take cover behind a concrete wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are still many civilians in Druzhkivka. Bicycles are the primary mode of transportation \u2014 no fuel needed, and you can ride them to fetch food and water. A few small shops and \u201cPoints of Invincibility\u201d remain open. You can charge a phone, grab some food, or talk to someone. People cook outdoors. Outside almost every building, you\u2019ll find makeshift brick stoves rigged with pots and pans. Local graves have begun appearing in town; we stumbled upon two. One person was found dead inside an apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These residents are used to the question: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you leave?\u201d The standard response: \u201cWhere would we go?\u201d I try to explain what destiny awaits them and this town if nothing changes. And there is no sign of things taking a turn for the better. I tell them about Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Kostiantynivka \u2014 towns just down the road from Druzhkivka. I tell them they won\u2019t survive the winter without power, heat, and with blown-out windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who survive usually leave at the very last moment, when the roads have become infinitely more dangerous. That creates additional hazards for the soldiers who step up to help them. In response, they just shrug. It\u2019s hard to leave your home. Those who found it easier, or who had somewhere to go, left a long time ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>Mykola Oliinyk, documentary photographer and press officer for the 93rd Mechanized Brigade \u201cKholodnyi Yar\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Translated from Ukrainian by Daryna Tymkiv<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter has-nested-images columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"162238\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162238\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426-670x448.jpg 670w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2426-245x162.jpg 245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"162250\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258-670x448.jpg 670w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6258-245x162.jpg 245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"162264\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821-670x448.jpg 670w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C6821-245x162.jpg 245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" 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size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"162246\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983-670x448.jpg 670w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C5983-245x162.jpg 245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" 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sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"162226\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195-670x448.jpg 670w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2195-245x162.jpg 245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"162230\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2280.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2280.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2280-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2280-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2280-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2280-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C2280-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, 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sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-horizontal size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"162274\" src=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theukrainians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/R6_C7155-670x448.jpg 670w, 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