5.10.2015. www.delfi.lv

Almost one month has passed nearly without shooting. Nearly, because shelling on Maryinka, Krasnogorovka and Avdeyevka still continues, although with a lesser intensity and not every day. But these are just “peanuts” compared with the previous situation.

Fights for Donetsk Airport finished more than half a year ago. Metal constructions were unable to endure (pillars crashed down), but not our soldiers. They were deservedly called as Cyborgs. Besides, initially the name was given to them by the very separatist fighters who were literally struck by their unyieldingness and fearlessness, manliness, fortitude and ability to struggle for their values.

The battle for Donetsk Airport began on 26 May 2014. On that day, the following information appeared on the Internet page of the Airport: “Beginning with 7 a.m., Donetsk Airport has temporarily interrupted servicing the flights. The recovery of operations will be announced additionally”. Temporarily! Now, there is the other phrase there: “In the regard of the force majeure, caused by the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donetsk City, the company “Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport” does not fulfil its official functions. The company’s homepage is temporarily unavailable”. But we all keep in mind that it is just temporarily.

It should be noted that terrorists had by no means expected such resistance on our soldiers’ part. They thought that everything was proceeding according to the plan, and, on the very first request, the Ukrainian military would immediately surrender the Airport. But only few hours after the beginning of the attack, Kadirov’s fighters were rushing to support the terrorists who had got in very unpleasant situation. Nearly all of them were killed by direct hit, and those who survived, wished to go home, saying that they had arrived in Ukraine without intention to die. Now those events are almost forgotten. I really do not know, how Kadirov “motivated” his combatants, but they stayed here, and for a long time, being killed and replaced by still more and more “defenders”.

On 26 May 2014, most of Donetsk residents were following the developments in the Airport with excitement and hope, being glad for the success of the Ukrainian military persons. By that time, only few people had left the City, and Russian television had not yet impacted the minds of innocent citizens to the degree of complete insanity, which has been reached now.

Donetsk Airport is located practically within the City borders – Holy Iver female monastery and cemetery are situated not far from the runway, and houses of the residents of Oktyabrsky Village (Kuibyshev District of Donetsk City) are behind them. It was the morning of 26 May 2014, when I, together with my friend, visited our acquaintance in one of those houses, being unaware of the capture of the Airport by armed terrorists and the initiation of an operation aimed at driving them off. It was close to mid-day when we returned home by a share taxi (they were still functioning), using by-roads and completely disregarding the traditional route, for it was dangerous because of the already ongoing firing. But the acquaintance – journalist remained in the midst of the storm and described the developments on her Facebook page (her memories of that day after a year – here). We were afraid and worried about ourselves, about journalists and our soldiers. On 27 May 2014, Donetsk Airport was liberated of terrorists, but they tried to capture it again by all means. And at that time, nobody knew that it would be followed by 242 days of hell – our Cyborgs’ opposition to the fighters who had gone mad from the bloodshed and their own weakness. The Cyborgs were not only defending the Airport, but they also provided moral support to the City residents by their fortitude, endurance, manliness and invincibility, and their ability to put up the flag of Ukraine on the Airport tower disregarding the furious shelling by the separatist fighters. Terrorists blocked all the access roads to the Airport by sentry posts, being eager to prevent any supplies to the Ukrainian soldiers from the citizens.

Many Donetsk people supported the Cyborgs, they were worried about them, and they prayed for them, but it was impossible to pass the words of support in person. Transfers or delivery of money to the volunteers who undertook the provision of our soldiers with everything required were, in fact, the only way of assistance which could be rendered by the citizens. Some of the Donetsk residents became volunteers themselves, for example, the popular Donetsk designer Leonid Krasnopolsky. In the summer of 2014, he was captured by DPR combatants for his pro-Ukrainian position. After release, having left for the free Ukraine area, he continued his action, combining his volunteer’s activities with professional ones – he began to create collections of clothing with Ukrainian symbols, and the proceeds from the sale were spent for purchasing the necessary equipment, as well as the materials to be used for sewing uniforms and manufacturing footwear for military persons. I also have a T-shirt – a birthday present from my friends – designed by Krasnopolsky, with a picture of the Airport tower and a flag of Ukraine waving above it.

I remember my return with the T-shirt in my bag to the occupied Donetsk: at one of the sentry posts in Gorlovka Village, a DPR fighter ordered me to open the bag and show the content. It was my luck that the T-shirt was folded in a way that the picture was not seen, and the combatant did not wish to check my belongings too carefully. In “DPR”, people are often shot or arrested (depending on the mood and degree of inadequacy of the fighter) for carrying Ukrainian symbols. For the time being, I wear this T-shirt only at home, but it is only for the time being.

In April 2014, while returning from Holy Iver Cemetery (together with my sister, I had visited a grave of one of my relatives), I walked for some time in the direction of the Airport. I had a spontaneous wish to take a photograph of it, at least on my cell phone.  Of course, this picture does not reflect the whole beauty of Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport, but it is quite memorable for me – it was my last visit there.

In general, the attractive Donetsk Airport was built in preparation for the “Euro-2012”. It somehow happened that it became not only the air gate to the City, but also a kind of a culture centre, the place where creative projects were implemented. But those who decided to play the separatist scenario, and those who decided to support it, did not need any culture, development, creativity, peace. Whatever they say about peace, all their words are false and saturated with hatred and rage. But the evil always hits those who had originated it. And we are already witnessing that.

Veronica

This is the tenth article in the series “Letters from Donetsk”, within which some Donetsk resident (her real name is not disclosed because of security considerations) shares her on-scene views on the military conflict ongoing in Ukraine.