Today, I want to tell you about things, that breaks me again and again in this war before the full-scale invasion. I want to tell you about them not as a journalist, politician, but as a simple Ukrainian, who still feels that pain.
(A reminder: war started 8 years ago, full-scale invasion - 178 days ago)
1.2015. Cyborgs.
Donetsk's airport. Ukrainian soldiers were defending it from May 26th, 2014 till January 20th, 2015 under shelling. Sometimes with no food and water, with a minimum of ammunition and without contact with the headquarters. First, the enemies, and then the whole world called these warriors "cyborgs." 56 people died. They were defending it for 242 days, surrounded by enemies. People withstood; concrete could not stand.
The fighting for Ilovaisk took place from August 10 to September 2, 2014. Ukrainian soldiers were forced to live Ilovaisk due to lack of weapons. They walked in a column on the orders of the command, which assured of a safe "green corridor". But immediately outside the city, they began to be shot with guns and tanks: on the one hand, by the russian military, on the other - the separatists. For two weeks, Ukrainian forces remained surrounded without reinforcements.
In the Ilovaisk cauldron, Russian troops killed 366 Ukrainian soldiers. 429 soldiers were wounded of varying severity, 300 were captured.
3.Battles for the Debaltseve bridgehead
During the fighting in the area of Debaltseve in the period from January 15 to February 2018, 110 servicemen were killed, 270 were wounded, 7 were captured and 18 were missing. For all the time of the defense of the Debaltseve speech, 136 were killed and 331 servicemen of the Armed Forces were wounded.
It's not a full list. There is also Avdiivka, "Prisoners Parade", Horlivka, Marianka, Sloviansk, Volknovaha...
I want this to end this post by words of a Ukrainian soldier, Roman Ratushny, who died in battle near Izium on 9th June, 2022:
"As long as the Armed Forces are killing rusnya at the front, you are not able to kill the russians in yourself"