On a mud-covered, shrapnel-dented minibus, 21-year-old Svyat unloads his latest round of civilians evacuated from the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Once they're safely off, he'll turn around and make the deadly journey again.
abc.net.au/news/the-last-days-of-bakhmut/102036518As Russian troops closed in on Bakhmut, saving citizens from the besieged Ukrainian city became a deadly gamble.One of the young men who risks death to bring people to safety is 21-year-old Svyat, who only wants to be known by his nickname for fear of becoming a target for Russians.
Svyat's own khaki uniform is somehow clean except for thick mud caked around his winter boots, the only sign of his dangerous morning work. He relays the details of his daring rescues in a matter-of-fact tone. It has become his daily routine, but he knows he's lucky to be alive. His own family is living under Russian occupation in another town in the Donetsk region. He has asked the ABC not to publish the location, but showed pictures and videos of his destroyed village.
Russian forces have been trying to capture Bakhmut for months. Many fear a renewed offensive will result in the Russian capture of the city.
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