[REGNUM] The air defense system worked over Donetsk when we went to Shakhtyorsk, to the temporary accommodation center for refugees. In recent days, air defense has been reliably protecting us from enemy projectiles. For the ninth spring, the sounds of war have been trying to be combined with the singing of birds.
The soldiers of the assault units and rescuers of the DPR brought 73 people from the battle-covered Artyomovsk to the temporary accommodation center. Refugees gathered to meet with us.
In the front row, a man sits on a chair, holding crutches tightly in his hands. His name is Nikolai, he is from the Artyomovsky district. He barely holds back tears and does not want to communicate with us, but still decides to talk.
"On January 14, at about 4:30 in the morning, Wagner fighters came to us. We were evacuated. Very good guys, even among peaceful people there are few of them. The guys were very respectful, ” says Nikolai. “I couldn’t walk fast on crutches, but I had to leave quickly, the shelling began, they carried me on a stretcher for 15 kilometers. Many thanks to them for this. May God keep them all alive!"
Until January, Nikolai lived in Stupki, a microdistrict in the north of Artyomovsk. Stupki recently came under the control of Russian units. There are no windows in Nikolai's house, the roof is also damaged by shell fragments, but the house itself is still standing. None of the relatives were hurt. This is what pleases most of all against the backdrop of ongoing events.
Suddenly someone pats me on the back: “Can I tell you something?” He introduces himself as Igor, also from Artyomovsk. He says that he is no longer afraid of anything, because there is nothing more terrible than what he has already seen in his native land. Ukrainian shells hit his house twice.
"The German fascists did not do such things as they did with us! We are constantly under fire, it was impossible to leave the yard, they were fired upon by snipers," says Igor. "Where I lived, there were practically no Ukrainian battalions, there were foreign mercenaries. I personally heard them speak English as they ran from one side to the other. We had no communication, no water, they did not give us anything - we lived like homeless people in basements.
I personally will say that Ukraine is a hole. And I can tell Zelensky: Russia will come for you too."
Since April, all the inhabitants of Artyomovsk have been sitting without electricity and water. From July until the middle of winter, they received humanitarian assistance. She was brought by Ukrainian social activists. Then they stopped helping.
At the temporary accommodation center for refugees, we met Vladik. At the age of 13, he helped his father chop wood so that his mother could cook food on a fire. Vladik remembers well how they left Artyomovsk with the whole family.
"We walked through the fields. The military from Russia helped us. And the Ukrainian military shelled the village. They drove people out of the village. The children were taken by force. They were hunting for children. If found, they were thrown into a car and taken to the territory of Ukraine. And men were also caught and immediately sent to the front," said Vlad and was so moved that he went to hug his younger sister Kira. Surprisingly, that seven-year-old turned out to be a very sociable child.
“I remember that the military came to us ... They gave us time to get together. And then there was a big trip. We walked through the fields, through the forest, crossed the river and climbed the mountain," says little Kira, grabbing my hand. I hugged her, and hugged her for a long time. She said that the Russian military gave her a soft toy, showed her bracelets, which her mother helped her to make ... And then she told about her dream.
"I want to see my grandfather. He lives in Snizhne (a city on the territory of the DPR).
Grandpas are important
Nearby stood the parents of Kira and Vladik - Elena and Sergey Vyacheslavsky. They looked like a happy married couple. They said that from the very beginning they did not want to go to Ukraine. We wanted to go to Russia. And they waited. We waited and waited. Sergei said that the Ukrainian military were looking for him and his entire family. They had an order to take out women and children.
"We hid in a nearby basement, because the Ukrainians knew our basement well. There was only one situation. When I was chopping firewood, guys drove up in a pickup truck. By the last name they ask my wife and children. I named another. He said that they had already been evacuated, and gave a different address. And our boys were already there. They (the Ukrainian military) probably did not dare to go there," Sergey smiles.
"Guys, calm down! Russia has arrived! These are Russians!”
"The first words we heard. And you know ... it became good right away. Reliable and easy! No, it wasn't particularly scary. I was sure that the boys would protect. Guys, thank you very much! he says as if the boys can hear him . Guys, you are really brave. If necessary, I will join your ranks. And without question. I serve Russia! Guys!
But first of all, all the men gathered here want a normal life. Send kids to school, wives to work. Old people want to believe that in Russia they are under reliable protection and will soon begin to receive pensions. Even for me, who has lived all my life in Donetsk, it is difficult to understand where these rescued from Artemivsk have so much love for life. They smile and joke. And I want to take their example.
March 3, 2023
Alena Morozova