Stories that you confided to us
War is a conflict that primarily affects civilians. It is pain, suffering and destruction.
My first war encounter took place in Sloviansk – my wife is from there.
It happened in March 2015, I was in Sloviansk. And I witnessed how armed people first surrounded the City Police Department, and then captured it. The situation was very unpleasant. Everything happened not in some fictional action movie, but in reality. It was happening with us. It became clear that it will never be the same.
The hardest thing was not to lose your composure in any situation. And do everything possible to protect the family.
The attacks on Kramatorsk were launched both in the morning and in the evening. My wife took it hard, and it was important for me that she felt my support.
I was very worried when the attacks happened and I was at work. I remember I was thinking about one thing: is everything all right there?
The most terrible thing is when innocent people die. In February 2016, man's life ended right in front of my eyes in Kramatorsk.
A shell from a rocket launcher exploded near the children polyclinic in broad daylight. Fragments hit a young woman. It is impossible to forget…
The usual peaceful life was disrupted by the war. My family left their home. I was out of work. We had to start life from scratch in another city.
Staying there would mean to continue exposing my life and the lives of my family to constant risks and psychological trauma. So we decided to leave.
The worst thing at war is to panic and lose those you love. I wish peace would come soon. I really want to believe that the Donbass will begin to recover, and every family will return to prosperity.
Peace and life are the only things that really matter. Only those who have been there will understand their price. The most important thing for me is my family - my wife and my four-year-old son.
When quoting a story, a reference to the source – the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation – is mandatory, as follows:
The Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/
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