It was here in Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, that Russia’s occupation of Donbas began. The city was a warzone around three months until its hard-won liberation by the Ukrainian Army on July 5, 2014. From there, Russian-backed forces commanded by Russian national Igor Girkin headed for Donetsk. And while Sloviansk has been gradually recovering, the wounds of war have to this day not fully healed. The city had to start over from near scratch, and it was clear that crucial changes were necessary – cultural and social in particular. In 2015, the free cultural space Teplitsia Initiatives Platform was founded to address these issues, the first of its kind in the entire region. Today, there are over a hundred such spaces across Donbas.
EuroMaidan Press: Youth initiative breathes life into Donbas’ first occupied city
(FILES) An armed Russian-backed separatist walks past a sign that reads "Slavyansk" in Ukrainian language, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk on May 16, 2014.
