Donbas/Donbass region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity

Links to the other 'regional focus' Journals:
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10264842/ -- Kyiv region Ukraine artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10246683/ -- NE & East-Center Ukraine artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10225029/ -- Kharkiv/Kharkov region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10203165/ -- Donbas/Donbass region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity <-- this Journal <you are here>
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10230885/ -- Southern Ukraine region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10255501/ -- Central & Western Ukraine artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
_{the order is simply geographic in a clockwise circle from north to east to south to west, it is not based on need (Donbas and Southern Ukraine are the areas of greatest need)}

Here are some artists and furs on FA who have publicly mentioned that they are from or have lived in the Donbas region of southeast Ukraine (alternatively spelled Donbass with a double s), consisting of the Donestk and Luhansk regions. I am listing the ones that I am aware of, without regard to their political affiliations or beliefs (which probably vary) or which side of the 'line of contact' they live or lived on. You can visit their FA pages to look at their artwork and Journals to see if they have told their personal stories of what has happened to them or if they have requested assistance/help. They are diverse. Some people from the Donbas region are supportive of Ukraine as a nation while others wish to be an independent nation separate from Ukraine or a part of a different nation. Some have fled west, some have fled east, and some have stayed where they were. Some tell their own personal stories while others repeat information from some news source they prefer, which may or may not be objective or allow dissenting opinions. Some have personal stories that do not describe the elected government in Kyiv or the Ukrainian army or territorial defense forces in a completely positive manner, although most of the ones I have seen are more realistic about it than the propaganda that some people who are not from the region read/watch and promulgate. Some live in areas that do not have 'free speech' or where they might be beaten or thrown in prison for what they say/write/post and thus their words may be cautious/measured and some "reading between the lines" may be necessary. They are all individuals and they vary in whether they need, want, or feel that they deserve assistance or help, but anyone who is from or lived in the Donbass region has probably been affected by the war (or "special military operation" if you prefer that term or are legally required to use it) more than most, for instance the now infamous and mostly destroyed city of Mariupol is in this region. As a part of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a new offensive operation is currently underway (as of late April 2022) and is further devastating many of the villages, towns and cities in the region. By June 2022 the fighting is destroying the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, and by early July the two cities have fallen or been liberated, depending on your point of view.

_{I hope these lists of FA members from Kharkiv, Donbas, and Southern Ukraine will make it easier for people to Watch each other and help with promotion or 'signal boosts' when someone is in trouble or a newer member needs attention. I am also hoping that some of the people in the safer western and central regions of Ukraine will take an interest in helping those in/from places like Kharkiv and the Donbas, as well as the 'front line' cities in the southern region, even if the only help some people can provide is 'signal boosts' or writing kind Comments of support.}

ALERTS & REQUESTS:
 ArlequinLunaire wants to flee Donetsk to somewhere safer, see -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10413891/ -- "HELP, ESCAPE, DONATIONS" [18 December]
 ghost738589 is running a FREE LOTTERY, see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/50174863/ [added 17 Dec]
ArlequinLunaire is looking for help translating a visual novel from Ukrainian to English [NEW - 20 Sept]
ShinigamiTF wants to escape from artillery shelling (fragments are falling on their house & yard) see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10266091/
AbyssalWhisperr is trying to evacuate their parents from Donetsk (which is under artillery/rocket fire), see alert here and their own story here !!!
LostDanver lives near the front line (Kramatorsk) and is offering $10 Emergency Commission portraits to be able to stock up on supplies
Varness-Crowe escaped Mariupol, needs YCH/commissions/donations to rent housing in new country, see here (posted 8 June)
LiS7x has fled west from Lisichansk/Lysychansk in the Luhansk region of the Donbas, see: here*, got a 'draft notice' to report on 27 June (see here)
ToriSan and kiyomipie and ShinigamiTF (and possibly ArlequinLunaire) all live in/around Donetsk city where there have been artillery/rocket explosions recently (the week of 14-20 June) [DPR/Russian news blames the UA army, and it has been mentioned in western media (see 1 2), but with few details and hints that the shelling in Donetsk might be a Russian 'false flag' to discourage pro-Ukrainian sentiment -- I have no way of knowing which is true but I do know that people are suffering from explosions in their city] The situation has gotten worse the following week, read ShinigamiTF's Journal (with twitter link for pictures) that was posted on 3 July but may have improved after that (at least for ShinigamiTF). AbyssalWhisperr describes the situation in the city of Donetsk over here.
-- A SPECIAL REQUEST: It would be great if people who are now safe and able to provide assistance would help find psychologists and psychotherapists for Ukrainians who need psychological support; the free psychological lines are under a lot of pressure and they can only help superficially, but the people living in the occupied territory don't know what to do at all since there is no normal psychological/psychiatric care available there.


GREATEST NEEDS: (circa January 2023)
KarPAriK from the Donbas region has problems with their teeth, see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/50541703/ -- Reminders / Commissions are open / Need help!
fu2fu2 (aka AbyssalWhisperr) -- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10401588/ -- "I'm sorry if I seem very intrusive, I really need money (like all of us now lol). (I have a disability and I can't work irl)." <-- stuck in Donbas region
<see everyone in the "ALERTS & REQUESTS" list above and the "Still in the Donbass region" list below...>

Still in the Donbass region: (circa June)
kiyomipie ⓒ , LostDanver ⓒ , ShinigamiTF ⓒ , ArlequinLunaire ⓒ , ToriSan ⓒ , RedElder ⓒ , StasyKi ⓒ ; ⓒ = takes commissions
^{(If you leave/flee or return and you want people to know your status, please post a Comment so this list can be updated)}

DONBAS REGION artists/furries list:

_{<If anyone would like to be added or deleted from the list below please post a Comment or send me a Note.>}

Key to the symbols: (only partially used in this Journal, updates are <still in work as of 20 June>)
<sub>ᵒ = might still be in their city/oblast/region (need to check <or> they want to be vague about their current location)
* = still in their city or oblast [as of May 2022]
☦ = dead (none that we know of yet, thankfully)
Ⓢ = now somewhere safe/safer
ⓒ = takes commissions
℗ = has a Patreon (and probably takes commissions too)
Ⓑ = has a BuyMeACoffee
Ⓚ = has a Ko-Fi
[W:#] = how many Watchers on FA (to help direct aid to less well-known members)
✔ = has replied to me
✔✔ = has replied to me & has linked to or 'boosted' this Journal
🔥 = there are currently frequent explosions near them (artillery shelling or rockets)</sub>


Newest additions to the list:
 intgi aka lintgil ⓒ ("I have been living in Donetsk all my life") see here [added 26 Feb 2023]
 KarPAriK ⓒ℗ ("I am from Donbas. Bryanka city, Luhansk region.") [added 10 Jan 2023]
Note: needs help with teeth, see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/50541703/ (can take PayPal)


Luhansk Oblast:
_{[Total population was 2.5 million in 2001, est. ~2.27 million in 2012]}

 ghost738589 ⓒ ("If you don't mind, help would be welcome now :3") from here
Note: Not safe. In territory that would be internationally recognized as Ukraine. Takes commissions (using Boosty) ✔

 Metonka ⓒ ("Hi! My name is Irina. Lugansk, Ukraine" from Profile page) ✔
Note: Currently in a (mostly) safe location, posts to FA regularly, takes commissions (using Boosty). "I am currently in a safe place, but my parents and brother are now in their hometown, which is now exploding arms depots. Most of all I worry about them and I am now working hard to help them. Thanks for posting, maybe it will help me raise more money to help them с:"

 StasyKi ⓒ (from Luhansk/Lugansk) "I have been living in Donbas all my life and I have no opportunity to move. I try to avoid politics."
Note: Still in the region. Relatively safe, "but sometimes there are dangerous situations." No posting in April or May but is now active again (example 1 2). Still needs help, circa late June. "I am raising money to help my family and survive in this difficult time." Can receive money via Boosty. ✔
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:58967537

 DxM8 ⓒ℗ (is from Попасна/Popasna, which is was a town <formerly> of ~20,000 people in Luhansk Oblast, see her story here) ✔✔
Note: Currently in a safer area of western Ukraine (that gets hit regularly with Russian missiles). A FA member since 2015, her town of Popasna was on the Ukrainian side of the front line with the DPR/LPR from 2014 to 2022 and in mid-March 2022 their family escaped to a safer area of Ukraine when the town became unlivable due to the fighting associated with the Russian invasion/"special military operation". By 24 April a neighbor has told her that her house was completely destroyed. By early May the head of the Luhansk region military administration (of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv) said, "The Russians are not just destroying Popasna. They are removing it from the map of Luhansk region." On 8 May 2022 the Governor of Luhansk Oblast, Serhiy Haidai, confirmed that Ukrainian troops were forced to retreat from the city of Popasna to take up more fortified positions, adding "everything was destroyed there". On May 2 she wanted to move again to try to get away from cruise missiles and the possibility of new military action in the south, seeking a safer area of the country.
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46073795/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10163856/

 F43filipp ⓒ ("My hometown is Lisichansk where I spent all my childhood now under shelling.") ✔✔
Note: Currently in a safer area of northeastern Ukraine. Lysychansk, population ~95,000 in 2021. "I am glad that now, by coincidence, I live in a completely different and relatively safe city [Poltava], but my heart bleeds at the thought of that small town in the Donbass, almost at the very border." -from here
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/user/f43filipp and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46.....#cid:163999848

 LiS7x aka Dark-Arctic-Fox ("Coat of my city on the flag." from here, it is Lysychansk, population ~95,000 in 2021) ✔
Note: Currently in a safer area of western Ukraine (Lviv), but got "a subpoena to be sent to serve as a soldier, for June 27" (a 'draft notice'). "on April 3 we left the city... Everything looks sad, this situation... It's a pity that I was not born in another, in a calm country(". LiS7x's photo event log of the 2022 invasion is posted on DeviantArt, see here with a part-2 for May&June and there is a PayPal address at the bottom for donations. Videos of Lysychansk are on their YouTube channel: here. Prewar photos of a very 'furry' location in Lysychansk are here: 1 2 3 4 5
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10141765 and Journals on DA with photos (21Feb-8May 2022) & (cont., May 2022) and www.youtube.com/LiS7x

 Nerior ℗ ("I'm an internally displaced person from Luhansk but since the war with russia started in 2014 I live in western Ukraine.") ✔✔
Note: Mostly safe, left Luhansk back in 2014 for western Ukraine. "I just want my country to remain Ukraine. I want her to stay as free as ever. See green meadows, blue sky, hear birdsong and see kind faces. Ukraine is my home." see 1 2 3

 Vizelius ⓒ (from the city of Anthracite in the Lugansk People's Republic) ✔
Note: Currently not safe but not under artillery/rocket fire. Antratsit is a city of approximately 52,000 people (in 2021) which has been located on the territory of the self proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic since 2014.
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46124365/ [I'm tired of the war. By Vizelius, posted Feb 25, 2022] and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/41121933/


Donetsk Oblast:
_{[Total population was 4.8 million in 2001, est. ~4.4 million in 2012, and estimated as ~4.1 million in 2021]}

 ArlequinLunaire ⓒ (is in DPR controlled territory and has a friend who escaped from Mariupol) ✔✔✔
Note: Now 'safely' on Ukrainian-controlled territory "Since 2014, the President of Russia has been destroying my Motherland. I am from Donetsk. I was born here and now I live here." from here
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10172866/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46664703/

 ShinigamiTF ⓒ ("Oh, I'm also from Ukraine, although I live in the Donetsk region") ✔✔
Note: Not safe!!🔥 A FA member since 2016, but was unable to receive money until June 2022 due to issues with documents and sanctions. "I have no way of getting paid, unfortunately." --> eventually got a Boosty
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:58974291 and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46267274/ "Pizdets" By ShinigamiTF, posted Mar 7, 2022 with the following text description: A little bit about what's going on in my country :")

 ToriSan ⓒ ("I live in Donetsk, I have never traveled anywhere during the hostilities, for all 8 years.") ✔
Note: Not safe!🔥 Still in Donetsk. "I will be grateful for any help." (circa late April 2022). "hard times have come because of the shelling. I have not left anywhere, there is no possibility to leave at the moment..." (circa mid-June). Has a Boosty with additional content.
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:58984879

 AbyssalWhisperr* aka  AbyssalSirenART aka  fu2fu2 ("Hello, my homeland is Ukraine. My commissions are open, I will be glad to see you on my page"), see their story here. ✔
Note: Fled to a safer area but still not safe. Takes commissions (and donations) using Boosty. "I left there all alone <just before the start of the "Special Military Operation">, because we were shot hard and I was scared, but my parents stayed there because they do not have money to live in a safe city. I draw to make money and take out my parents. To be honest, I don't even know where my home is now. Looks like I'm homeless, lol."

 kiyomipieⓈ ⓒ ("kiyomipie | she/her | 30.12.1998 | Donetsk, Ukraine") from her FA Profile page ✔
Note: Now safe. "I’m much better, thank you. I had a possibility to run from Donetsk with my husband. Now we’re trying to find a job to pay the house and to buy food. But thank god we’re safe now…" from here
Older note: Not safe ("two rockets hit our house, the summer kitchen burned down... the garage and the car are")! Sells adopts and takes commissions using PayPal or Boosty [NEEDS COMMISSIONS!]. "I’m in Ukraine but I’m from Donetsk. My city is a country within a country. I can say “Russia in Ukraine”. Because we have here Russian rubles, Russian documents, also we have Ukrainian documents too. Just a crazy thing for understanding really. I have so difficult situation here and it’s really hard to explain. We even don’t have telephone cell here now. A week ago here was Ukrainian cell and Russian roaming. Now Ukraine turned off the cell… My family went to Germany but I couldn’t move out of Ukraine because they left my 88yo grandma here, she can’t move normal so I couldn’t leave her all alone 😞" (spliced together from Journals)

 Varness-CroweⓈ ⓒ ("As an apolitical person... Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine didn't bypass my hometown - Mariupol.") from her story here
Note: Currently in a safe location and has YCHs and takes commissions (using her Boosty), see recommendation

 VoronaSashaⓈ ⓒ ("I'm a digital and traditional animal artist from Ukraine, Donetsk region") from Profile page ✔✔
Note: Currently in a safe location and takes commissions (using Boosty), "I do not have the opportunity to return home to Ukraine now to create a paypal there."

 LostDanver ⓒ ("i've already knew what it's like to live in military zone, because i always lived near the frontline in Donetsk oblast") ✔✔
Note: Not safe, has not evacuated. From Kramatorsk, population was approximately 150,000 in 2021, "where the whole military conflict has started eight years ago, where Donetsk Republic was born, and where the main military base of Ukranian troops is located". Takes commissions with PayPal (or Paysend/Wise if you prefer) and probably would not refuse a donation to help stock up on food/supplies.
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46221636/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10248581/

 RedElder ⓒ ("I am in the Donetsk region.") from here ✔
Note: Currently fairly safe, still in the region (not a front-line city). "I live in Ukraine. I have lived in the armed conflict all these years and only recently decided to leave that place. And now this conflict is getting bigger and it can affect me again. I'm scared, I'm confused. I'm worried about my family and friends, afraid for my new life. I don't think that the inhabitants of the region will be naturally slaughtered, but random victims are not excluded." see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10141222/
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:58966827 and https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10141222/

 morituri ("left the east of Ukraine. in Russia now. It was the only way to leave Donetsk, the city i lived in." "from a non-existent country (really)")
Note: Status unknown, escaped from Donetsk to Russia but no updates since then. Donetsk is a major city (population a bit less than 1 million) that has been under the control of the Donetsk People's Republic since 2014 and since it is on the east side of the 'line of contact' there is no way to easily get from there to places that are under the control of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. [not currently active on FA and not responding to Notes]
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46299922/ and https://ko-fi.com/matthewmorituri (I don't know if the ko-fi still works) or https://morituri.carrd.co/

 EihmanⓈ ⓒ℗ ("Unfortunately, due to the Russian occupation I lost my home for the second time." from here)
Note: Currently safe in western Europe. "For the same reason my mother and I were forced to leave Donetsk 8 years ago. And we started our new life in a quiet neighbourhood on the outskirts of Kharkiv... My mother and I now in Spain." Also listed in https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10225029/ -- Kharkiv/Kharkov region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity. [not currently active on FA and not responding to Notes]
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10190505 and https://twitter.com/EihmanArt

 lynx_catgirl aka  ProAnnⓈ ⓒ℗ (escaped from Mariupol, see her story here) ✔
Note: Currently safe. "I have moved until it's more calm... I think it's better let other artists who is in real danger get some attention and help." (may currently be in territory controlled by the DPR or somewhere in the Commonwealth of Independent States). Does regular streaming (with chat in English) on https://picarto.tv/ProAnn since evacuating to a safer area. From her Picarto: "About me: I am Russian, I lived in Ukraine with my own family. Trying to return to normal life. Freelance artist since 2007. I draw, I teach drawing. Other passions: sports and psychology."
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10171271/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10184866/

 AevenoⓈ ⓒ ("I am from Mariupol and... I no longer have a home and drawing may be my only way to make money for the foreseeable future.") ✔
Note: Currently safely abroad in Scotland now (as of mid/late May). A new artist who is just starting to take commissions.
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:59121551 and https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10200517/

 Nanori-chan ⓒ (from the Donetsk region, temporarily moved to a safer area of the country) ✔
Note: Currently in a safer area of western Ukraine. Has several open YCHs, posts new art on FA regularly and replies to Notes.
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:58967651 and https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10141034/

 Somhp ⓒ ("Hello, I'm from the Donetsk region now it's dangerous to go there, please add") ✔
Note: Currently safe(er) in Dnipropetrovsk. New to FA (account created 8 May 2022). Has a DA but doesn't draw furry there. Has a Boosty. "I'm still in Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk, but my family remained in the Donetsk region and I want to help them leave"
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:59157709

LilakimokaⓈ ℗ ("Greetings from the city of Volnovakha, Donetsk region.") ✔
Note: Currently safe in Türkiye (the new official spelling for Turkey). YCH and commissions open, has a Patreon and takes PayPal again (by 3 June). "Yes, I haven't found any Ukrainians here yet either) It will be nice if you write about Turkey, <and then> suddenly someone else is here<3" (from here on Patreon). Volnovakha is was a small town in Ukraine, with a population of about 21,000 in 2021. It is about halfway between Donetsk city and Mariupol and was on the Ukrainian government side of the line of contact in Donetsk oblast from 2014 to 2022. On 12 March 2022, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk Oblast, stated that the town had been completely destroyed and effectively ceased to exist.
-- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal...../#cid:58974354

dimasbkaⓈ ⓒ ("in the People's Republic of Donetsk (in the east of the former Ukraine) in Kramatorsk", circa 2014) ✔
Note: Currently safe in another country (probably Russia). Takes commissions for pencil artwork using Boosty. "from Kramatorsk, Donbass", moved 5 years ago and now in a different country but still has many friends there and stays in contact. Mentioned Slavyansk and made several Comments about their thoughts/beliefs/politics in a thread over here
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/13993239/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46.....#cid:163386912

alphaleone ("Mariupol, where I live" from here circa 2015, and "REPUBLIC OF DONETSK" from here circa 2020)
Note: This artist and former FA member tended to attract controversy due to their strong political views and militant themed artwork, but what remains of their FA gallery helps show a particular point of view and can be helpful to someone who is not from the region but wants to understand some of the reasons for the conflict from 2014-2020.
-- see https://www.furaffinity.net/user/alphaleone and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/30879774/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/15571641/ as well as https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Novorossiya

I am aware of a well known FA artist with over 11500 Watchers whose Profile page advertises "Living in Donetsk Republic (ДНР)", but they have asked to be removed from this list and I respect their wishes, so please do not tell me about them or ask me to add them to the list, if they want to be on the list they will contact me.


_{<Note: there is a limit on FA parsing/display of 30 FA username icons, any beyond 30 will simply be displayed as the FA username in text without the icon, sorry to anyone at the bottom of the list who did not get an icon>}


FA SEARCHES:
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/.....aine|Ukrainian <-- general search for Ukraine or Ukrainian things
Here are some FA searches specific to the Donbas/Donbass region of southeastern Ukraine and its cities:
_{(many people from this region of Ukraine have lived with artillery, bombs, rockets and low intensity war since 2014)}
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/.....ugansk|Luhansk <-- general search for the most common Donbas words and spellings
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Donbas -- one 's' is the Ukrainian spelling (the Ukrainian language doesn't use double letters)
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Donbass or keyword search -- double 's' is the Russian spelling
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Donetsk or keyword search
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Lugansk or keyword search
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Luhansk or keyword search
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Kramatorsk (de facto regional capitol, next to Slovyansk)
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/.....=Severodonetsk (the alternate spelling Siverodonetsk gives no results)
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Lysychansk the city flag has a fox on it, see https://www.furaffinity.net/view/15047712/
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Lisichansk (the alternate spelling of Lysychansk, next to Severodonetsk)
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/?q=Mariupol
(FA searches on Alchevsk, Antratsyt/Antratsit, Horlivka/Gorlovka and Sloviansk/Slavyansk return no results as of 25 April 2022)
(ditto for Rubizhne, Slovyansk, Bahkmut, and Krasny Luch (a city of ~80,000 people in Luhansk oblast/LPR))


DISCUSSIONS ON FA:
There have been several artworks or Journals on FA that have attracted lots of Comments about the situation in Ukraine and/or the Donbass region. While these are not necessarily reliable sources of news/information, they can provide background/context as well as showcasing multiple viewpoints and do show how real people interact (and sometimes even contain useful suggestions). Proceed with caution and appropriate skepticism. Please read/review the FurAffinity Code of Conduct at https://www.furaffinity.net/coc before posting to one of these sorts of discussions.
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46395243/ -- Meanwhile in Russia (by Oini)
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10153334/ -- About life (by SineAlas)


JOURNALISM:
Here are some assorted news articles about the Donbas/Donbass region:
-- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/.....raine-war.html <-- gives a nice perspective from Jan 2022 without being the propaganda of a particular state/side
-- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60460003 <-- a short BBC human interest story from just days before the 2022 invasion started
-- https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/03/euro.....cmd/index.html <-- a recent article, May 3, 2022
-- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl.....ans/ar-AAWTSyD <or>
-- https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl.....noia-villages/ <-- not specifically about Donbass but helps explain the climate/environment of fear and suspicion in predominately Russian-speaking eastern and southern Ukraine, where support for Russia is fairly common, and shows why many who are still in the region do not like discussing politics.
-- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl.....hed/ar-AAX4wxe <or>
-- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61372382 -- 'When the shelling stops, the traitors will be punished' <-- this is similar to the Washington Post article above but is specific to a city in the Donbass region and helps show the climate of division and fear [from BBC News 5/8/22]
-- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl.....ult/ar-AAXmW7G <or>
-- https://www.france24.com/en/live-ne.....ussian-assault <-- a perspective from a Donetsk town of ~10,000 on the Ukrainian side of the front line
-- https://www.barrons.com/news/burnin.....ce-01652867107 <or>
-- https://www.yahoo.com/now/burning-f.....094018049.html <-- another perspective from a small village in northern Donetsk
-- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl.....ast/ar-AAXMJeP <-- AFP article about Lysychansk on 27 May 2022
-- https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-ukrai.....uck/a-62094563 [opinion article, but the following quote reminds me of some things I have heard, "I remember a supermarket cashier who moved to Bucha from Donbas complaining to me that no one in Kyiv cared when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine in 2014. She had a point, it was, after all, only the Donbas,"]
-- https://youtube.com/playlist?list=P.....0SMfU44S6msx5r <-- a YouTube playlist (with English subtitles) that was recommended by someone who has lived on both sides of the 'line of contact' in the Donbass region
-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpoBKHYKtt8 <-- a YouTube investigative journalism video about Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015 that was recommended by someone who lived in the Donbass region. The video does not have English subtitles but selecting automatic subtitle and auto-translate to English works fairly well.
-- https://understandingwar.org/backgr.....essment-may-28 <-- on 28 May, a well-respected group of war analysts predicts that "When the Battle of Severodonetsk ends, regardless of which side holds the city, the Russian offensive at the operational and strategic levels will likely have culminated, giving Ukraine the chance to restart its operational-level counteroffensives to push Russian forces back."
-- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl.....nts/ar-AAZeBCk <-- an article by a US newspaper after the fall/liberation of Lysychansk/Lisichansk.
-- As of 5 July, "most people have already left the Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk region. Only around 340,000 people -- out of 1,670,000 before the war -- remain, according to the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko." from CNN's live updates
-- "UN says Ukraine bears share of blame for nursing home attack" [in Stara Krasnyanka, ~15km NW of Lysychansk, in the first 2 weeks of the invasion] <-- from AP news here or here on msn and showing the UN and western news sources can be critical of both sides when there is good reason to be [the full UN report is here]
-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMEpxX7rS5I <-- YouTube video on the logistics of the artillery war in the Donbass [by Perun]
-- https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/a.....sing-bbc-news/ <-- advice on accessing BBC news in countries where it is blocked
_{(if anyone who is actually from the Donbass region or who is currently living in the Donbass region has a news article they would like me to read, please send me a Note)}


INFORMATION:
Some demographic information about the Donbas/Donbass region:
The Donetsk Oblast population was 4.132 million (Jan 1, 2020). Excluding the city of Mariupol, nearly 1.7 million people had lived in government-controlled parts of the Donetsk Oblast (region/county) in early 2022 but as of April 29, 2022 there are about 370,000 civilians in the region (according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk regional military administration of the Ukrainian (Kyiv) government). The DPR and the Ukrainian government estimate that around 2 million people – over half of the total (pre-2022) population of Donetsk Oblast – live in DPR-held regions.
-- Donetsk city population (year): . . . 1,024,678 (2001 census) . . . . . 971,096 (2012 est.) . . . 905,364 (2021 est.) . . . [DPR controlled since 2014]
-- Makiivka city population (year): . . . . 431,023 (2001 census) . . . . . 394,604 (2012 est.) . . . 340,337 (2021 est.) . . . [DPR controlled since 2014]
-- Mariupol city population (year): . . . . 510,835 (2001 census) . . . . . 486,320 (2012 est.) . . . 431,859 (2021 est.) . . . ~100,000* (by May 2022)
-- Kramatorsk city population (year): . . 215,729 (2001 census) . . . . . 199,020 (2012 est.) . . . 150,084 (2021 est.) . . . ?
-- Bakhmut city population (year): . . . . . 82,916 (2001 census) . . . . . . 75,900 (2017 est.) . . . . 72,310 (2021 est.) . . . ~20,000 (by May 2022)
-- Kostiantynivka city pop. (year): . . . . . . 95,111 (2001 census) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68,792 (2021 est.) . . . ? [aka Kostyantynivka or Konstantinovka]
-- Pokrovsk city population (year): . . . . . 69,154 (2001 census) . . . . . . 64,533 (2014 est.) . . . . 61,161 (2021 est.) . . . ?
-- Volnovakha town population (year): . 24,647 (2001 census) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,441 (2021 est.) . . . [destroyed by March 2022]
-- Niu-York** (aka New York, Ukraine): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,917 (2021 est.) . . .
_{-- -- *according to the DPR in May 2022, over 60% of the residential housing in Mariupol has been damaged beyond repair
-- -- **administratively New York (formerly Novgorodske) is part of Toretsk (pop. 31,513) & both are only a few kilometers from the Russian/separatist-controlled city of Horlivka.}
The Luhansk Oblast population was 2.136 million (Sep 1, 2020) and much of the territory/land was controlled by the government in Kyiv prior to Feb 24, 2022.
-- Luhansk city population (year): . . . . . . . . . . 503,248 (2001 census) . . . . . 466,627 (2012 est.) . . . 399,559 (2021 est.) . . . [LPR controlled since 2014]
-- Sievierodonetsk city population (year): . . . 129,752 (2001 census) . . . . . 120,264 (2012 est.) . . . 101,135 (2021 est.) . . . ~13,000 (by May 2022)
-- Lysychansk city population (year): . . . . . . . 133,258 (2001 census) . . . . . 120,785 (2012 est.) . . . . 95,031 (2021 est.) . . . ~20,000 (late May 2022)
-- Popasna town population (year): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . < 22,000 (2013 est.) . . . 19,672 (2,021 est.) . . . [destroyed by May 2022]


Some information about Ukraine regional history (mostly related to various historical tensions/conflicts):
_{-- These are some wikipedia articles about historical events and people that are frequently referenced (possibly as grievances, justification, injustices or whataboutism) in Descriptions, Journals, Comments and Notes with the assumption that the reader will understand the context of what the author is referring to. I am providing links to them because I have found them helpful when trying to understand some reference that is made. Individual people's views about these events and people vary, some have strong feelings and are very partisan to one side or the other, some are neutral/objective, and some people just don't care and are more interested in paying the rent and buying enough food this week. I am providing them as clickable links for the convenience of anyone who wants a comparatively objective place to get a general understanding and to begin researching them.}
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ukraine [45,000 BC to present]
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepan_Bandera [1 January 1909 to 15 October 1959]
-- Volhynia massacres [1943 to 1945]
-- Euromaidan [2013 to 2014]
-- media portrayal [2014-present] <-- "Russian and Ukrainian sources differed greatly in the way they portrayed the demonstrators."
-- Odessa clashes (regarding Euromaidan) [2014], compare to: a Ukrainian version (short) & (long), a Russian version (long)
-- Genocide allegations - legal action at the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) [2022]


HOW YOU CAN HELP!:
see the section in the 'southern Ukraine' focus Journal (just above the Quotes): https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10230885/

You may link to my four Journals about artists/furries from the hard-hit regions of East-Center Ukraine, Kharkiv, Donbas, and Southern Ukraine, or to any other Journals about the 'safer' regions. You may copy any/all of them or translate them to Russian/Ukrainian or any other language. Please give any/all of them and/or the big Ukrainian artist support Journal an advertisement/repost/'signal boost' (post a link to them) if you want to.

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Quotes from some people on FurAffinity who are in/from the Donbas/Donbass

I had not planned on doing this, but after all the Notes I got when I asked people if they wanted to be on (or remain on) the Donbas list above I decided to cut sentences out of various different Notes and put them together into something that resembles a 'story' that seemed to me to represent a sort of total 'spirit' or 'voice' of the people who are on FA who are from the Donbass region.

Here are some assorted separate quotes I have read (since I started this Journal) that were written by people currently in or from the Donbass region. I tried to focus on peoples' individual personal experiences and their expressed opinions. The people and their viewpoints vary and although the order is not random they should not be read as if they come from one person who was trying to tell a consistent story. Any appearance of a consistent story from their order was created by me and the order I chose for these separate quotes from different people from the Donbass:

> "I hope it's not too difficult for you to read, because Google translation can be imperfect and curious"
> "it is really difficult to introduce it to a person who don't know anything about the situation"
> "You wouldn't believe the amount of hate propaganda we've had in a country that led to this particular event."
> "kids are provoked to shout death threats to different people even in the peaceful time."
> "While it is easier to believe in heroes and villains, th whole picture is different."
> "Ukraine is one of the poorest countries in Europe for a reason, because many problems of inefficiency and corruption have remained since the times of the USSR"
> "All my life I've considered my region almost dead lol."
> "It would be very helpful for me to get some commissions"
> "Now is the time for hard work, the only way to overcome problems :3"
> "I try to avoid politics, I don't like this topic."
> "I have no links to reliable articles about what is happening, because I was not particularly interested in politics and did not save them."
> "only with the advent of the war, I began to be interested in the reasons for this situation between countries."
> "now I’m scared to even leave the house, and there’s no work either."
> "official news from Ukraine is a 'circus with horses'..."
> "I understand that you are unlikely to be so interested in my personal opinion and political views (which I had to get due to the war)"
> "it is difficult for me to perceive Russian actions as correct and fair."
> "People have every right to their opinions and vision of the situation."
> "And it's good that the list includes artists with different views on what is happening. After all, that's how it is in life."
> "In the republics themselves [LPR & DPR]... You can only publicly support Russia, otherwise no one will protect you from a banal beating by 'patriotic' people."
> "our people are taken into the army and sent to die in the war against Ukraine. Against their will. My friends were taken too, I hope they're still alive."
> "I have not yet been taken to local camps, although they are here [in the LPR/DPR]. I hardly go out of the house, it saves me"
> "different people have different views, some want to be a part of Ukraine, some want to be independent."
> "Before the full-scale war, the region tried to prosper, but was not allowed to do so."
> "I wasn't expecting people to really understand,"
> "I have been in the Donetsk region since birth and all these 8 years of war I was here. But today’s events are the worst in all these years, never have there been so many victims."
> "The civilian population suffers every day."
> "I hope to live until next year and it will be better."
> "I would like to stay on this list, because recently my loved ones were injured due to shelling and now they need help. There are no articles on this topic, since it happened in a frontline city and there are already too many dead and wounded to write about everyone."
> "And the city of Mariupol was completely destroyed, my father is there and his house burned down, he has nothing left."
> "I remember when there was people on tv saying that: "like 2-3 million people in Donbass should be just killed" (verbatim quote)."
> "Please do not believe the media when they say that the shelling <of Donetsk city> was from the Russian side..."
> "I wasn't expecting to see a real moral support."
> "Sometimes a couple of kind words save you from bullets better than a shield. Thank you!"
> "I am glad that the world community is really interested in and actively discussing current events."
> "We need to unite and support each other when the world is on the brink of disaster"
> "I hope the whole world will soon live in peace!"
> "I apologize for making mistakes in my speech, I don't speak English very well."
...
> "thanks for what you do!"
> "thank you for such kindness you do."
> "Thank you for what you are doing."
> "Thank you for your interest in our country and people."
> "Thank you for your attention to the problem of my homeland, it is very important to me"
> "Thank you very much for your support!"
> "Very pleased and very touching that they provide so much support."
> "Thank you very much for the work you have done. It's worth a lot!"
> "I didn’t even know that someone was paying attention to the Donbass"
> "I will post links to your magazine and the second one in my profile in order to spread the word and help the world affected by this terrible war."

[You're welcome]

_{People can claim their individual quotes if they want to, but do not need to admit/claim the quotes as theirs. If someone wants me to remove their quote or to move it somewhere else in the list of quotes, please send me a Note. I tried to "tell the story" that I thought I was reading from people in the region but the "story" I wrote is not the only story that can be told and I am sure some people will not agree with parts of it. If anyone else wants to put the quotes in a different order to "tell a different story" I will probably be amused to see it, however if you want to tell your own personal story it is probably better to do that in your own Journals or in the text under one of your own artworks and just include a link to that here.}

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_{P.S. I may eventually try to make a Journal to highlight Kharkiv (the area/region/oblast that is just north of the Donbas), and another for the other southern oblasts/regions that are being heavily affected by the war, including the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, as well as the city of Odesa, all of which have seen active fighting or significant missile attacks. If you would like to help (or work on that) please send me a Note and it will be finished much sooner. Ideally people from those regions would do something like this for their own region. Update: there are now three 'regional focus' Journals so far, for Kharkiv, Donbas, and Southern Ukraine.}