Video: Stepping Over the Bodies of the Occupiers With Her Handbag—The Incredible Story of a Grandmother from Donetsk Oblast

Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines often witness events that are hard for people far removed from war to imagine. Some stories are striking for the courage and resilience of civilians who must survive under extremely difficult conditions.

One such story was shared by the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 152nd Separate Jaeger Brigade named after Simon Petliura, whose call sign is “Hunter.”

The soldier recalled an incident he and his comrades witnessed in Udachne. There, they met a local woman who, even amid the brutality of war, had managed to adapt to the horrors around her and demonstrated remarkable resilience.

“Despite having lived through years of combat here, she was walking along the railroad tracks with her purse. I don’t know where she was going,” says “Hunter,” noting that no trains have run there for a long time.

At the same time, according to the battalion commander, the bodies of the killed Russian invaders—which were literally strewn all around—did not faze the stranger in the least.

“She walks by, stepping over the bodies of the Russians. Stepping over them in the literal sense of the word. And she just keeps walking. With her purse,” the Ukrainian defender marvels.

Judging by the intercepted communications, the invaders, who were also monitoring the woman’s movements, were no less stunned.

“Their commander asks, ‘Where is she going?’ ‘Well, who the hell knows? I’m not going to go ask her where she’s going.’ That really stuck with me. It’s so hard for us to get in there and take up a combat position, and here some local old lady is just strolling along with her purse,” laughs “Hunter.”

This is described on the Telegram channel of the 1st Battalion of the 152nd Separate Jaeger Brigade named after Simon Petliura, under the handle “Hunter.”

The fighting in Donetsk Oblast will be a test for the new commanders of the Ukrainian forces — The Japan Times.

Occupied Donetsk Oblast has plunged into darkness: a blackout has occurred in the region.

There are still 350 children remaining in the forced evacuation zone in the Donetsk region.