I got a call from a friend, my child’s godfather living in Serbia. It just so happened that a fair number of former “DNR” fighters moved there recently. He told me this story.
He met a former “DNR” artilleryman. One of the man’s legs does not bend. An arm is damaged too. He lost two fingers on one hand. When he goes through an airport metal detector, shrapnel in his body sets it off… In general, you can say that the “Russian world” visited his body…
So my friend asked him: – Why the hell did you do it all? You called for foreign troops, received weapons, flattened your own houses, and now you came here, to Serbia… Why?
– Yes, but we did not want that. Now the war is continuing because someone’s house was ruined by artillery, someone’s relative got killed, but we did not want to fight, we wanted federalization, separation from oligarchs in Kyiv…
– So, you installed Putin’s minions instead? Well, is it better?
The man suddenly exploded: – No, not better! Worse! Do you know how badly tired we are of the war? We would do anything to stop it! We talked with Ukrainian Army soldiers on the topic constantly — what we could do to stop the war! We’d start firing and their commander would call us and say: “Guys, my people want to get together for a meal, let’s pause the fire for a couple of hours.” And we’d stop firing! Because they were closer to us than the Chechens that were sent to us supposedly to “help” but who in actuality watched that we don’t stop fighting. If we were not pushed in the back to fight, we would have negotiated a peace already a long time ago!
– Why aren’t you negotiating a peace agreement now?
– Because we are not given an opportunity. That’s why I left. Russia will always push us in the back to fight to break the truce and to “liberate” new cities. When I understood this – I got sick to my stomach. And I left.
– So, what now?
– I don’t know what to do now. My wife and daughter lost their lives there. I am now here. Previously I was a Ukrainian, wanted to become a Russian, but became an outcast. I will try to live with that.