Leaving Is Not An Option For Many Donetsk Residents

Nataliya Gumenyuk just returned from an undercover reporting trip to eastern Ukraine. Gumenyuk is blacklisted in Eastern Ukraine and she, like many Kyiv-based journalists, have had difficulties getting back into separatist-held territories. Over the span of approximately one week, Gumenyuk spoke with locals in Donetsk about how their life has changed as a result of the ongoing conflict between separatists and Ukrainian military forces.

The Ukrainian government has recently been criticized for cutting off pensions and social services to parts of eastern Ukraine that are still under separatist control, insisting that people can leave for areas under Ukrainian control if they want Ukrainian social services.

However, this line of reasoning doesn't make sense, said Hromadske International's Nataliya Gumenyuk. Upwards of 800,000 people are still stuck in Donetsk city and thousands more are in the countryside without help from Kyiv, or from the separatist quasi-government bodies.

Sunday Show co-hosts Nataliya Gumenyuk and Ian Bateson spoke about Gumenyuk's recent trip to Donetsk.

Aired on Dec 7, 2014