Paula Bronstein Photojournalist

UKRAINE'S ELDERLY: LEFT BEHIND BY WAR

  • TITLE_UKRAINE
  • Avdiivka : A portrait of an elderly woman named Marina Marchenko who was a teacher, painted by an Australian artist is seen on a war torn building, abandoned in Avdiivka.After more than six years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.BANGKOK - MARCH : in Taipei, Taiwan on March 19, 2020. According to CDC current totals the Coronavirus ( COVID-19) has now effected 235,939 globally, killing 9,874. It has spread to 157 countries. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images )
  • Aleksandra Losipovna, age 91, from Kramatorsk, was brought to the nursing home by her only relative, her grandson, because she lives alone and he is afraid she can harm herself, there has been no medical treatment provided besides painkillers. Aleksandra passed away in the nursing home in May. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • A war-torn cemetery full of tombstones that have been hit by gunfire at the devastated neighborhood near the Donetsk airport.After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Opytne, Eastern Ukraine: Abandoned, destroyed homes are seen in Opytne a village too close to the front line of the war.After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • ( Opid-ne ) Opytne, Eastern Ukraine: Mariya was killed at the age of 77, her home caught on fire from an oil lantern, firefighters couldn’t access the home because of the dangers of the front line village, largely controlled by the Ukrainian military. She is seen holding new chicks delivered by ICRC as part of a humanitarian aid service for elderly that live alone. This allows her to raise chickens making a small income. Mariya often speaks with tears in her eyes while talking about the death of her son and her husband. Her son Victor,48, was fatally injured by shelling in 2016 that hit the home. He died in her arms. Her husband, passed away the same year from a heart attack caused by extreme stress of living too close to the front line. She refuses to leave her village because her family are buried near by.{quote}I have nowhere to flee, my whole family is buried here.{quote} {quote}I got used to the continued shelling.{quote} Opytne is a war torn village on the contact line where only 43 people are left due to the dangers.
  • Donetsk People's Republic:Raisa Andreyevna, 72, walks by a local market area which was destroyed back in 2015. Since the start of the war she can no longer receive her Ukrainian pension of $50 a month so works as a janitor which pays her enough to survive. Originally from Russia, she now lives alone. Her children and grandchildren have all moved away to safer areas as part of Donetsk remain dangerous and occasionally gets shelled. {quote}I am not afraid to get killed because I have already lived my life but they have children they have to take care of.
  • Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic (DPR):Antonina Kondratiyevna, 77, stands in her neighbor's home, destroyed during heavy battles between Ukrainian army and pro-Russian militia in 2014-2015. She and her elderly sister are among few residents living in the devastated neighborhood near Donetsk airport.After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Opytne: Donetsk region: Raisa Petrovna, 80 and her husband Stanislav Vasilyevich reside in a village often caught in the crossfire between Ukrainian and Pro-Russian separatists. Opytne depends on humanitarian organizations to help the elderly who refuse to leave their homes and are trapped in a dangerous situation.Raisa says that they have learned to live with the sound of shelling and gunfire daily. {quote}We were sitting at home, screaming at them not to kill us!{quote} Riasa said. {quote} Her husband was injured twice by shrapnel, once in his abdomen, requiring surgery. He suffers from a hernia that keeps on growing. Stanislav suffers from dementia now along with his other medical issues, he died from lack of proper medical care in September.
  • Opytne: Donetsk region: Raisa Petrovna, 80 and her husband Stanislav Vasilyevich live in a village often caught in the crossfire between Ukrainian and Pro-Russian separatists, too close to the contact line. Raisa says that tanks were driving in front of their home in the first year of the war, now they have learned to live with the sound of shelling and gunfire daily. {quote}We were sitting last home, screaming at them not to kill us!{quote} Riasa said. {quote} Her husband was injured twice by shrapnel, once in his abdomen, requiring surgery. He suffers from a hernia that keeps on growing. Stanislav suffers from dementia now along with his other medical issues. {quote} I have to treat him as a child, I am so sorry that he is like this now, I am afraid to leave him even for a moment.;{quote} Raisa stated. Their two sons live on the other side of the contact line unable to visit often because of the war. Their village, Opytne depends on humanitarian organizations to help the elderly who refuse to leave their homes and are trapped in a dangerous situation.After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Opytne: Donetsk region: Stanislav Vasilyevich was injured twice by shrapnel, once in his abdomen, requiring surgery. He suffers from a hernia that keeps on growing. Stanislav also suffers from dementia along with his other medical issues. Their village, Opytne depends on humanitarian organizations to help the elderly who refuse to leave their homes and are trapped in a dangerous situation.
  • Opytne: Donetsk region: Raisa Petrovna, 80 can't afford new shoes so she wears the same old slippers every day. Raisa Petrovna, 80 and her husband Stanislav Vasilyevich live in a village often caught in the crossfire between Ukrainian and Pro-Russian separatists, too close to the contact line.
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  • Chasov Yar, Donetsk region: Lyudmila Yevgenievna, age 64 from Chasov Yar is seen by windows at a residence for the elderly in Chasov Yar, Eastern Ukraine. All her relatives have died and she was left alone .Evgeniy Tkachev has founded the elderly care facility with his own money. He bought two private houses across the street from each other. One house is for elderly women, another for men. {quote}I evacuate elderly people from the stress affect by the conflict.{quote}These people have nowhere to go. Over 50% of the elderly here do not receive their pensions due to the loss of the documents.
  • Avdiivka: Vladimir Mamoshyn, age 65, sits in his wheelchair, his wife died in 2010, now he lives alone, his children abandoned him. He resides in the war-torn Avdiivka village, less than a kilometer from the contact line where daily shelling and gunfire can be heard. In 2016, Vladimir lost his leg due to a vascular disease, with poor access to health facilities along with inadequate health care. After having a heart attack a few months later in 2017 he lost the use of his left hand, now he lives in a wheelchair depending on family and friends to help him.
  • Avdiivika: Ludmyla Vasilevna, age 61, lives alone with her cats and a few dogs in a war torn village very close to the contact line where most have left due to the dangers. Her son is in the DPR military - militia. Her house was damaged over the years, refuses to leave as she has nowhere else to go.
  • Avdiivika: Elena Parshyna,age 66, she is blind and lives alone now sits on her bed with her dog who now has passed away along with her husband who had a heart attack in April and her son who also died late in 2017 from the same fate. Both her husband and her son were buried in a small cemetery that is mined and too close to the military positions so she never can go visit the graves. The home was shelled last year, still damaged but Elena refuses to leave. Her remaining family - daughter and a sister all live on the other side of the contact line in Makeyevka city controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
  • Avdiivika: Elena Parshyna,age 66, is blind and lives alone,feeling depressed and lonely after her husband had a heart attack in April. She says that she cries often now. Her son also died late in 2017 from the same fate. To make matter worse, Both were buried in a small cemetery that is mined and now too close to the military positions so she never can go visit the graves. The home was shelled last year, still damaged but Elena refuses to leave. Her remaining family - daughter and a sister all live on the other side of the contact line in Makeyevka city controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
  • Opytne, Eastern Ukraine: Mariya Gorpynych, age 76, lives alone. She speaks with tears in her eyes while talking about the death of her son. Victor,48 was killed due to the war in 2016, he was fatally injured by shelling that hit the home. He died in her hands. Her husband, died in the same year from a heart attack from extreme stress of living too close to the front line. Mariya refuses to leave her village because her family are buried there.{quote}I have nowhere to flee, my whole family is buried here.{quote} {quote}I got used to the continued shelling.{quote} Opytne is a war torn village on the contact line where only 43 people are left due to the dangers.
  • Mayorsk, Donetsk regionAntonina Malna, age 84, gets cared for by a local nurse, she had a stroke a few months ago and remains in a comatose state while her daughter Zoya watches. The nearest hospital is 25 km away and cannot afford to provide 24h care for patients like Antonina due to the lack of medical staff. Mayorsk is right on the border area in Eastern Ukraine, a very difficult location for the elderly to be unless they have medical and family support.
  • Valentina Iosipovna, age 76 lays in bed waiting for staff to feed her at the Druzhkovka nursing home.
  • Druzhkovka, Donetsk region:Sergey Nikitin fell down after having had a stroke, he is seen resting at the Druzhkovka nursing home. As he has dementia, his family abandoned him as they moved to safer areas away from the conflict zone. The nursing home facility takes care of many elderly who are left behind, and poverty stricken due to the war. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Opytne, Eastern Ukraine: Mariya Gorpynych, age 76, lives alone. She speaks with tears in her eyes while talking about the death of her son and her husband. Her son Victor,48, was fatally injured by shelling near the home in 2016, he died in her arms. Then her husband, died in the same year from a heart attack caused by extreme stress. Mariya refuses to leave her village because her family are buried near by.{quote}I have nowhere to flee, my whole family is buried here.{quote} {quote}I got used to the continued shelling.{quote} Opytne is a war torn village on the contact line where only 43 people are left due to the dangers.
  • Avdiivka: Vladimir Mamoshyn, age 65, sits in his wheelchair, his wife died in 2010, now he lives alone his children abandoned him. He resides in the war-torn Avdiivka village, less than a kilometer from the contact line where daily shelling and gunfire can be heard. In 2016, Vladimir lost his leg due to a vascular disease, with poor access to health facilities along with inadequate health care. After having a heart attack a few months later in 2017 he lost the use of his left hand, now he lives in a wheelchair depending on family and friends to help him.
  • Raisa Andreyevna,72, waits in line for food aid given out by a local charity in an impoverished area of Donetsk. She works as a janitor which pays her enough to survive. Originally from Russia, she now lives alone. Her children and grandchildren have all moved away to safer areas as part of Donetsk remain dangerous and occasionally gets shelled. “I have told them to move out, I am not afraid to get killed because I have already lived my life but they have children they have to take care of.” Since the beginning of the war she can no longer receive her Ukrainian pension of $50 a month.
  • Donetsk, People's Republic (DPR) : Galina Mikhailovna , age 79, waits for customers at a second hand market in suffering during a cold winter day in February. She sells used goods that others give to her in the market for pensioners, sits in the snow with some street dogs. She has no pension, she never went to Ukraine to register, claims she can‚Äôt afford to travel to the other side every 57 days which is required by the government. She is in debt so can’t afford to pay for heat and water in her apartment anymore.
  • Mayorsk : An elderly handicapped woman rests after trying to walk the long distance in the cold to cross the border from Donetsk to the government-controlled territory of Ukraine in order to collect her pension. There is no regular wheelchair assistance when crossing the border area.
  • Mayorsk, Ukraine: An elderly handicapped woman slowly makes her way along the border crossing to Donetsk after making the exhausting journey to get her pension in Eastern Ukraine.
  • Mayorsk, Eastern Ukraine: An elderly woman is exhausted after waiting in line for hours in the cold to cross the border from Donetsk to the government-controlled territory of Ukraine in order to collect her pension.After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Katerinovka, Lugansk: Natalia Reshetnyakova, age 83 holds a portrait of her late husband who she was married to for over 50 years. She lives alone now. The only thing left reminding her of her husband is this portrait. The population of Natalia's village comprises less than 300 people. The village is exposed to the sniper’s fire as the contact line is just few kilometers away.
  • Avdiivka, Eastern Ukraine: Nikolay age 61, is homeless, his house was destroyed in old Avdiivka. He sleeps in a bunker underground in one of the apartment blocks in the city. He barely survives, has lost his passport, and has no money for medicine, unable to receive a pension after his documents were destroyed in the fire. He collects garbage for recycling to earn a few dollars. Over the winter he got frostbite in his feet causing an infection that won't go away, he suffers in constant pain. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Avdiivka, Eastern Ukraine: Nikolay age 61, is homeless, his house was destroyed in old Avdiivka. He collects garbage for recycling to earn a few dollars and sleeps in a bunker underground in one of the apartment blocks in the city. He barely survives, has lost his passport, and has no money for medicine, unable to receive a pension after his documents were destroyed in the fire. Over the winter he got frostbite in his feet causing an infection that won't go away, he suffers in constant pain. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Vera Cherepovskaya, age 65, rests at the Druzhkovka nursing home, has severe dementia, a social worker brought her to the home, she was abandoned by her family who fled the war-torn region. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Ivan Ivanovich, age 65, is a double amputee but has no memory of how he lost his legs, he was brought to the Druzhkovka nursing home by healthcare workers. Ivan stated {quote} No legs, No memory - I am not doing well.{quote}He was abandoned by his family, his daughter lives in Russia. He used to work as a coal miner. The nursing home facility takes care of many elderly who are left behind, and poverty stricken due to the war.
  • Zolote, Luhansk region: Marina Zelenina, 64, lives alone. She is suffering from the lung disability and is barely able to walk around her small apartment. Her neighbor does shopping for her. A local nurse, Elena visits a few times per week to provide her with medical assistance scarce in this area situated few kilometers away from fighting. Her elderly mother died from a heart attack after she had undergone severe shock caused by the shelling at the height of the conflict. Marina's family left the city looking for employment and safety. The woman has not seen them since. Now she talks with them over Skype.
  • Nadezhda Borisovna, age 76, from Dobropolye, died in the nursing home from diabetes, she suffered from obesity. The body had to stay in a room with two other sick elderly women, untouched for about 2 days, as nursing home has no resources to deliver it to the morgue and the healthcare institution from her native town delays to pick her body up. Her neighbors took the responsibility to organize a funeral service for her as she has no relatives. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Nadezhda Borisovna, age 76, from Dobropolye, died in the nursing home from diabetes and obesity. The body has to stay in the room with two other sick elderly women, untouched for about 2 days, as nursing home has no resources to deliver it to the morgue and the healthcare institution from her native town delays to pick her body up. Her neighbors took the responsibility to organize a funeral service for her as she has no relatives. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • A woman lights candles during a Sunday service at a church in Donetsk.After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
  • Avdiivka: Nadezhda Iosipovna, age 75, mourns the loss of her grandson who died recently as she visits his grave. Nadezhda also suffered the loss of other men in her family including her husband who died of cancer. Her daughter lives on the other side of the contact line in Donetsk city - stronghold of pro-Russia separatists so she rarely gets to see her and live alone in war-torn Avdiivka. After more than four years of war the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has a human toll that is staggering. The war has displaced more than 1.6 million with over 2,500 civilians killed and 9,000 injured. Some 200,000 people live under constant fear of shelling every day, with nearly a third of the 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance over 60 years of age. Ukraine has the highest proportion of elderly affected by war in the world.
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