“Do you where you’re heading?” asks Andrei, a wide-eyed Ukrainian soldier stationed at the edge of government-controlled territory in the country’s war-torn east. On the other side of the front line, Artyom, a burly border guard in the Russian-backed separatist enclave, passes his days in a booth adorned with a “Donetsk People’s Republic” emblem and two portraits—Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and Ramzan Kadyrov, the brutal ruler of Chechnya. There Artyom interrogates arrivals who arouse his suspicions, inquiring about their allegiance while rubbing a combat knife strapped to his left thigh.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
The Economist: An end to the war in eastern Ukraine looks as far away as ever
An armoured vehicle rides in the street on August 31 in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.
