Yesterday at 22:31
In the daytime it is more or less quiet in the town of Maryinka, but as soon as it gets dark Russian mercenaries start firing at Ukrainian positions. The enemy often fires after 6 pm. This was the case before and after the Normandy format meeting. The Russian-led militants do not pay attention to any international agreements.
“Machine guns, grenade launcher fragmentation rounds and assault rifles – these are minor things. They brought an infantry fighting vehicle here. So far they were just digging it in. It’s only a matter of time before they start using it. We are holding the line, although we want to go on the offensive. This is our land, our Ukraine,” Roman, a Ukrainian soldier, said
Roman enlisted in the Ukrainian military this year. He wanted to go to the frontline even earlier, but he had to take care of his elderly parents. He took up arms for one reason.
“My neighbor Yaroslav. He was a good man. He was killed while retreating from Ilovaysk. He had been a conscript just a couple of years earlier. After the outbreak of the war, he volunteered to go to the front line. His parents took (his death) hard. His remains were identified by DNA. It was the only possible way. They buried Yaroslav in a zinc coffin,” Roman said.
They say there are no atheists in war. Anatolii, a soldier in the Ukrainian army who volunteered to go to the front line in 2015, saw it for himself. Today he serves in the Odesa Brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign.
At the front, Anatolii started to create unique icons using regular cutting boards as a canvas. The faces of saints are made from wire. “If I am worried or in a bad mood, or after heavy shelling, I come here, when I have a free moment, and have a rest,” Anatolii said.
“Previously, I considered myself an atheist. Not anymore. Sometimes I ask why the war began in Ukraine and why I am here. But I am a man, I have to defend my family and my country. These are sacred things. I am Ukrainian. Cossacks can’t be defeated!” Anatolli said.
58-year old Anatolii says it’s not difficult for him to dig trenches, chop wood or carry heavy ammunition. At home, he has a wife, two daughters and three granddaughters. The youngest, Albina, was born while her grandfather was at the frontline.
“They sent the girl to kindergarten. My wife told me that the teachers asked her if she had grandparents. She said: “I also have Grandfather Tolya. He is at work. Where they shoot.”
Anatolii misses his granddaughters very much. Every day, he speaks to his family by phone. He says he is also worried about his unit, it became his second family. That is why Anatolii gives them icons and hopes that they will protect their owners. In his improvised workshop he also prays for the victory of Ukraine.
