Crossing Ukraine’s armored curtain to ship individuals, and bathroom paper. Steve Hendrix and Ievgeniia Sivorka report from Kamiyanske, Ukraine: “Oleksander hates pulling into this deserted Ukrainian village on the Dnieper River, one of many solely portals into Russian-occupied territories to the east. When he passes the final Ukrainian flag, flapping subsequent to a bombed-out gasoline station, he is aware of that he’s about to come across the primary Russian checkpoint and that the troopers will query him, test his telephone for anti-Russian memes and study his physique for navy tattoos. Typically they threaten to shoot him.

‘This automobile has been hit thrice,’ he mentioned, stating the patch of tape over a shrapnel gap within the door of his tattered white Ford Transit van. ‘Nothing good occurs if you get [inside Russian-controlled territory]. My smile fades as quickly I am going on this route.’

Oleksander — whom The Submit is figuring out solely by his first title to guard him from Russian scrutiny — is among the few Ukrainians who spend time on each side of the road separating enemy armies. He’s amongst only a handful of couriers keen to cross the militarized armored curtain, passing back-and-forth by way of this fastidiously managed no man’s land with tense cooperation from troops on each side.”

John Hudson, Marisa Iati and Praveena Somasundaram contributed to this report.