Season March 2015

On February 15, 2015, a ceasefire took effect in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russia separatists fighting for the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and forces loyal to the government in Kiev. Under the agreement, both sides would be ordered to pull back heavy weaponry from their front lines, and to respect a buffer zone between each other’s territory. In the following days, however, there were still reports of shelling and sporadic fighting. With DNR troops holding a position on the outskirts of the Ukrainian-held port of Mariupol, many now fear the city may be the target of a new rebel offensive. VICE News traveled to a rebel-held front line outside the village of Shirokino, 20 miles from Mariupol, to speak with DNR troops about what may lie in store for the city, and to find out whether the ceasefire would hold.

To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) in eastern Ukraine held a unique beauty pageant — where the contestants were all female rebel fighters. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky attended the pageant and spoke with the contestants who, in the midst of ongoing fighting, said they are proud to be battling for independence in the region.

The eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, and was previously controlled by the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian military has done its best to fortify the city after winning it back, but many believe that the pro-Russia separatists plan to seize control of it once again. In this dispatch from Ukraine, VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky embeds with the Azov battalion as it prepares to defend Mariupol.

The eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, and was previously controlled by the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian military has done its best to fortify the industrial hub after winning it back, but many believe that the pro-Russia separatists plan to seize control of it once again. In this dispatch from Ukraine, VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky discovers the strategic significance of Mariupol in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and learns how the city is preparing for the possibility of falling under siege from pro-Russia separatist forces.

In dispatch 101 of "Russian Roulette," VICE News travels to the bomb-ridden remnants of Donetsk Airport in eastern Ukraine, where under the command of pro-Russia separatists, Ukrainian prisoners of war are being ordered to dig out the bodies of their fallen comrades.

As the conflict in eastern Ukraine continues, thousands of foreign soldiers are joining the fight alongside the pro-Russia separatists of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR). While the majority of these soldiers are from Russia, a growing number of volunteers from western Europe, and even as far as Brazil, are joining the ranks of the separatist forces. VICE News traveled to eastern Ukraine to meet volunteer fighters from Spain, Brazil, Serbia, and France, to find out what inspired them to take up arms and risk their lives on front lines with the DNR.

The war in eastern Ukraine hasn't just been about territory — religion has deepened the divide. In Donetsk, Protestants are being forced to conduct their services in apartments, persecuted by pro-Russia separatists who believe there’s only room for one religion in the region: Russian Orthodoxy. VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky traveled to Donetsk to attend secret Protestant churches, and spoke with members of the Donetsk People’s Republic as well as the Orthodox Church to find out whether the DPR’s vision for the rebel-controlled region includes the coexistence of religious beliefs.