Tears fall as children are evacuated from Slaviansk

A teenager says "everybody is scared," as residents of Slaviansk evacuate women and children amid violence in eastern Ukraine. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

Published

about 3 years ago

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World

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World, Europe

People

Deborah Lutterbeck

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Ukraine

Transcript

They are leaving Slaviansk. A ceasefire between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian armed forces offers women and children a chance to get out of town. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SLAVIANSK RESIDENT, ANDREI, SAYING: "It is very scary here, we hear artillery barrage and shooting all the time. My family needs to leave because their lives are under threat." About 120 people are evacuated from the city. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SLAVIANSK TEENAGER, IGOR, SAYING: "I am lost at the moment. I have graduated from the school and have no place to go to continue my education. I don't know where to go to study, everything is bombed out, the shells permanently damage different buildings everyday. No one knows what is happening. They say we will run out of food soon. That is why we are being evacuated." Parts of the east have turned into a war zone as separatists battle with Ukrainian forces for control. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SLAVIANSK TEENAGER, ANASTASIA, SAYING: "Everybody is scared, my parents are afraid, and I sort of got used to that." But saying goodbye is never easy -- even when it means a safer future.