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"NOVOAZOVSK, Ukraine \u2014 Rebel soldiers, a tank and separatist flags are some of the first warnings that all is not calm along the quiet rural road leading up to this village in southeast Ukraine.\nThe entrance to the village is manned by a group of separatists. Next to them are army trucks with the flag of Novorossiya - or New Russia \u2013 the symbol of separatists\u2019 aspirations to create an independent state from parts of east Ukraine.\nThis area along the northern coast of the Sea of Azov is the heart of the latest front in the months-long struggle over the fate of eastern Ukraine. \nSee also: What Life Is Like in Ukraine's Rebel-Held City of Donetsk\nFirst was Crimea, which Russia formally annexed after armed separatists overran the peninsula in the spring. Next was the bloody fighting over Luhansk and Donetsk, which has reportedly claimed the lives of thousands of Ukraine troops and Russia-backed separatists. \n\nRebel officer stands among colleagues in Novoazovsk pic.twitter.com/bqpRTgJTBT\n\u2014 Kristina Jovanovski (@kjovano) August 31, 2014\n\nNow, amid strong evidence that Russian troops have invaded Ukraine, armed separatists have taken over Novoazovsk and alarmed citizens of the large city of Mariupol of a possibly broader offensive in this coastal region.  \nOn Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that there should be talks for statehood in eastern Ukraine.\nA rebel in Novoazovsk who gave his name as Gurza said he was hoping for a referendum in this region similar to those held in Donetsk and Crimea. Eventually, he wants them to join together to create Novorossiya.\nLike a number of other rebels, he used to be part of the Ukrainian army but has now joined the separatists, saying the country he once defended is not itself anymore. \n\u201CIt\u2019s not Kiev, it\u2019s Washington with Obama\u2026 and that\u2019s why I\u2019m in [the Novorossiya] army.\u201D\nSigns of a battle appear intermittently in this village. At a secondary school near the center of town, windows are broken on all three floors. On the opposite side of the street is a hospital with more shattered windows and broken glass scattered on the ground. Behind it guard dogs scare off any closer looks.\nFurther away from the center, up a small hill stands a house riddled with at least 32 holes on one of its sides. There are several more circular dents showing failed attempts to puncture the wall.\nNext to the building, seven more holes are found on the green gate.\n\nSide of house riddled with holes. No one knows - or at least willing to say- who caused this pic.twitter.com/6KouzkovIZ\n\u2014 Kristina Jovanovski (@kjovano) August 31, 2014\n\nThe woman who lives here does not know why it was attacked or by whom but she was able to stay safe in her basement. She said there was damage to other residents\u2019 homes as well.\n\u201CThey say that the corner of one of the houses in the passage has suffered damage too. The house was severely damaged. Also, the bomb dropped in someone's backyard, broke all the windows.\u201D\nIt is hard to tell what would make this house a target. Down the road are two cows resting within a fence and nearby is an overgrown soccer field.\nNear the sea, a woman named Raisa is minding her cows. She says she did not see Russian tanks but heard from others that they were in town.\n\u201CThey stood there in the center near the bus station, and what happened next we do not know. We do not walk around, we sit at home so we can quickly get in the basement if they start bombing.\u201D\nShe says she knows of one woman who had two legs amputated but believed most people were not suffering. \nCalm was returning to the village. In the center of town a grocery store has a good stream of customers and cheerful staff are happy to show that people are going about their daily business. \n\nSigns of normalcy in Novoazosk, residents go about their daily business pic.twitter.com/yPVVLrQApB\n\u2014 Kristina Jovanovski (@kjovano) August 30, 2014\n\nReminders though come quickly that such is not the case in all corners of this village. Armed rebels have turned a car parts store into their new home. Laundry is hanging in the back while a guard with a rifle and a white armband sits next to the gate.\nA rebel wearing sunglasses and holding a rifle with painted-on camouflage who gave his name as Swat said he was an officer among these separatists.\nHe said his fellow fighters took the village on Wednesday and want to reach as far as Lviv, a major western city in Ukraine. \nHe says they came from the north and made their way along the border. He said there are no Russians fighting in Ukraine, despite satellite evidence released last week by Nato, but he acknowledged that he would welcome the extra help. \nHe admits his eyes are set on the large seaside city of Mariupol.\n\u201CWe have a great desire to avoid casualties among the local population,'' Swat said. \"If we did not pay attention to it, we would have taken Mariupol [a] long time ago.\u201D\nSwat said the house riddled with holes could have been shot at by the Ukrainian army because there was shooting from Mariupol. However, the holes were not facing east where the city lies.\nThe port city is of strategic importance because it could create a corridor between the Russian border and Crimea.\n\nUkrainian loyalist fighter from the Azov Battalion stands guard on the outskirts of Mariupol amid growing fears of separatist offensive.Image: FRANCISCO LEONG/AFP/Getty ImagesKiev accused Russia earlier this week of sending troops to fight in Novoazovsk as well as supporting the separatists since the crisis in the east began. Russia though has continually denied such claims.\nDespite the fears of a bigger battle ahead, pro-Ukrainian sentiment is still very visible in Mariupol. Two pro-Ukrainian rallies have been staged in the last week. However, after a deadly battle between separatists and the Ukrainian army in May, it is clear the city is still vulnerable to the tension that has plagued much of the east. And some locals blame government troops for taking a heavy-handed approach.\nIt is difficult to tell if Moscow or the rebels will make a serious push to capture the port city. \nHowever, Ukraine is not taking its chances.\nWhile the area was quiet, the army was clearly preparing for an attack on Mariupol. At the checkpoint to enter Mariupol coming from the direction of Novoazovsk, large concrete structures were being laid on the road which could block vehicles. However on both sides were large areas of farmland, seemingly making it easy to drive around the army\u2019s attempt to shield the city.\nSome residents in the city are not waiting to find out the rebels\u2019 next move. Dozens of cars are lined up at checkpoints to leave.\nMariupol resident Alexander is staying put for now. While he wants the country to remain intact, he believes the government is more responsible for civilian deaths. He says he does not know what lays in the future for his city but does think Mariupol is at risk of being taken over by separatists. \n\u201COne thing is for sure, lots of people will die on both sides.\u201DKristina Jovanovski is a Canadian freelance journalist based in Ukraine.\n      window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement('script');js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);};\n_msla(\"//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\",\"twitter_jssdk\");"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/08/31/on-the-front-war-comes-to-yet-another-town-in-ukraine/>