Slideshow: Life along the front-lines in eastern Ukraine quiet as cease-fire holds

· September 10, 2015

Despite a few incidents of light weapon fire, a tenuous ceasefire in eastern Ukraine seems to be holding. Local residents remain wary of the quiet, expecting the tentative peace to shatter at any moment and afraid to let their guard down. Children are now back at school, but the front-line that divides the pro-Russian separatist areas from the rest of Ukraine, also divides the curriculum.

FSRN’s Filip Warwick visited the area, and talked to residents, educators and local officials. He brought back these photos.

Listen to his audio report here.

Click any image to launch the slideshow

: Some children were sad that the summer holidays had come to an end at the Pervomaisk school. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: The school is located in the town of Pervomaisk four miles from separatist held Donetsk airport. Prior to the ceasefire the school building was damaged due to shelling and mortar fire in the area. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: About nine miles from the Donetsk city centre is the industrial city of Avdiivka. As a front line city it experienced heavy shelling in recent months. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: Avdiivka’s population had dwindled to a fifth of its original size. Some see the Ukrainian Army as guardians of the city, others as occupiers. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: Yuri Cherkasov head of Avdiivka’s city council believes people have not only become tired of the war but also are now become afraid of the peace and calm around the city. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: Some of the roads connecting front line Ukrainian villages are controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Countryside dirt roads provide an alternative. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: In the Trokhizbenka area school children prepare for the new term. Not all have returned from Russia, Byelorussia or Western Ukraine with parents having little faith in the ceasefire. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: Schoolteachers ready for the new school term observe outside a volunteer group delivering blackboards, uniforms and Ukrainian books. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)

: The Trokhizbenka bridge across the river Donets is closed to traffic and civilians. The destroyed bridge separates families and communities as well as the Ukrainian Army from the pro-Russian separatists. (Photo Credit: Filip Warwick)