{"id":293797,"date":"2024-05-08T18:17:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T15:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/golosy-regioniv-08-05"},"modified":"2024-05-08T18:32:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T15:32:38","slug":"golosy-regioniv-08-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/golosy-regioniv-08-05","title":{"rendered":"Fostering life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Farmers of Ukraine\u2019s frontline regions are currently working amid numerous challenges and problems facing the agrarian industry. After all, the measure of their work is not only the productivity and profitability of agricultural enterprises. The ultimate measure of their work is human lives.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to hostilities, constant shelling resulting in the destruction of infrastructure, permanent stress and fear, as well as the danger of landmines, working in the fields is becoming a battle for farmers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Ukrainian farmers in the frontline territories are working, finding ways to overcome difficulties despite everything. To this end they they cooperate with local and international organizations, receive consultations and use new technologies to increase efficiency.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plowing, sowing and reaping under fire, they show the world that Ukrainians\u2019 invincibility is manifested in their love for the native land, in the desire to care for it and grow crops despite the deadly threats.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The stories of this struggle are the stories of people. Today, the stories of people who defend the Ukrainian land are closely intertwined with the stories of those who cultivate it during the war. Without our defenders, there would be farmers and vice versa.

<\/em>Read about it in the article by Tetiana Veyika<\/strong>, editor of the newspaper “Holos Huliaipillia” and the online media outlet “Huliaipole City.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fields on the front line<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Agricultural enterprise “Lavanda” LLC is located in the south-eastern part of Ukraine on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region \u2013 in the Huliaipole city territorial community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The team of “Lavanda” LLC before a full-scale invasion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All the lands of the company are located at the intersection of three regions, dug up by trenches and bomb craters: Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhya.
Before the war, such proximity to the three regions provided wider opportunities rather than caused any alarm, wheras now these lands are within the reach of the enemy’s jet and even barrel artillery, not to mention aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the danger, the company cultivates these fertile lands, most of which are leased land shares. Wheat, barley, sunflower and rapeseed are grown here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this simple phrase “cultivation of grain crops” that in peacetime is used in the regular news about the harvest, today is soaked with pain and blood of every agrarian – everyone who, without exaggeration, protects each hectare of crops on the front-line fields at the cost of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

War. Invasion. Defense<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Director of Lavanda LLC, Dmytro KOROSTELIOV, is one of those courageous Ukrainian farmers who in the wartime managed to preserve the company, the staff and, despite the material losses caused by the enemy, cultivates the land for the third year in a row to have a Ukrainian harvest for his compatriots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dmytro told us that at the time of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the company’s lands had already been properly fertilized and sown with winter rapeseed and wheat. The land was also prepared for the spring planting of sunflowers. That is, everything was done so that the harvest of that year pleased both the people and the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today it is difficult to remember the chaos that russian criminals expectedly brought to our land. I say the word “expectedly”, because I knew well that there would be a war,<\/em> – Dmytro KOROSTELIOV says. – It was possible to foresee the invasion of the russian occupying forces on the territory of our state. US and British intelligence constantly warned Ukraine about military preparations by the russian president. From the first hours of the invasion, the Defense Forces of Ukraine: the AFU, the Territorial Defense, the National Guard, the police, as well as volunteers, began to fiercely resist the aggressor. We, the people of Huliaipole, had to think fast.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As Dmytro recalls, already on the second day of the great war, namely on February 25, 2022, the Public Organization “People’s Self-Defense Unit of the Huliaipole Community” was formed, which actively joined the defense of the town of Huliaipole. They started to construct roadblocks, prepare “Molotov cocktails”, and keep track of enemy movements using drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first enemy vehicles began to break into our town on March 5, 2022 from the side of Polohy that was already occupied by the russian military. However, our town turned out to be too tough for them. To this day, our heroes bravely defend the town and are actively fighting the enemy, – Dmytro says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dmytro Korosteliov also recalled how in March 2022, the first military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began arriving in Huliaipole. Then, according to him, the small, peaceful town began to turn into a military hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as quickly as the military filled the town, just as quickly the local residents left it, fleeing from artillery fire. Nowadays, Huliaipole is a front-line town where life has stopped and active hostilities are taking place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n