Volunteer Dima tries to call his mother in a Ukrainian-controlled village
Photo: Grigory Kubatian. Go to Photobank KP
MOM HAS FOOD AND GUNS
The village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye is located halfway between Kursk and Sudzha. It is in the hands of our soldiers. Closer to Sudzha is also Martynovka, but fierce battles are being fought there. Volunteer rescuers and village watchmen and I will go to Bolshoye Soldatskoye to see if help is needed.
The road to Sudzha was recently paved, but in some places it was spoiled by tank tracks. On the sides of the roads you can see the remains of burnt-out cars. People tried to escape in these vehicles and Ukrainian attack drones attacked them. Enemy drones are still hovering somewhere nearby. But my drone detector is still silent, which means there is a chance to get there safely.
One of the volunteers named Dima is trying to contact his mother by phone:
– Hello mom, hello!.. Damn it!
Jura: The connection is bad. My parents and grandmother stayed in the village of Spalnoe in the Sudzhansky district and cannot leave. There are also battles there now. Mom told Dima that the Armed Forces of Ukraine, apparently mobilized, had settled in the house next door. The village shop was looted. But recently these Ukrainian soldiers were liquidated. But their things and weapons remained…
Dima joined the volunteers in the hope that he would be able to accompany his parents and grandmother when it was possible to travel to the Sudzhansky district. In the meantime, he is helping to save other people. Otherwise, he will go crazy with excitement.
At the entrance to Bolshoye Soldatskoe, I see columns of smoke rising from the new arrivals in the distance. A battle is going on somewhere.
WE TAKE THE FORKS AND WE WILL BE UNTIL THE END
Bolshoye Soldatskoye is a fairly large village. 2.5 thousand people lived here. Now the streets are empty. An unexploded shell sticks out of the asphalt. Some houses were damaged, as was the Nativity Church in the village. The enemy is destroying here with mortars and hail.
We are moving fast. We are not stopping anywhere. We are hiding cars under trees. We are stopping by to visit Father Vladimir, the rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael in the nearby village of Lyubostan. There is also a priest in our group: Father Alexander. They know each other. But Father Alexander was dressed like a special forces soldier, wearing a helmet, a bulletproof vest, a carbine in his hands, a mask on his face, and a beard sticking out from under the mask. He is an archpriest and works with believers in the Federal Penitentiary Service system. Maybe that is why he is so militant? There were holy warrior monks: Peresvet and Oslyabia! Why is the modern priest worse, when trouble has come to Russian soil? On the chevron there are words from Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…”
Father Alexander and Father Vladimir met in the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye
Photo: Grigory Kubatian. Go to Photobank KP
Father Vladimir did not even recognize his old comrade in the brave warrior. And when he lowered his mask, he began to smile. Over the past two weeks, he too has created a militia of friends and neighbors in Bolshoye Soldatskoye. They are on duty, inspecting the damage caused by shelling and making sure there is no looting. Local residents come with requests: either to baptize the wounded or to hold a funeral for the dead. Someone has to provide medical care.
There is now no water in the village, no gas, and no electricity. But around a hundred people refused to leave the village, despite offers to evacuate.
“We want to organize a people’s military squad here,” says Father Vladimir. “The authorities promise to help with weapons. The main weapons of priests are prayer, fasting and the cross. But when we need to protect our people, our land and our faith, we take a machine gun, a pitchfork and resist to the end.”
Father Vladimir himself came many years ago from the Zaporozhye region, which at that time was considered a territory of Ukraine. His brother Peter was a priest in Tokmak. He was tortured and killed by unknown criminals. After that, Father Vladimir could not stay in Zaporozhye. He does not hate Ukrainian culture, sometimes he even sings songs in their language. But he knows well how cruel Ukrainian nationalism is. And I am ready to resist it.
For now, the “rural militia” is solving economic problems: they need to feed abandoned bulls, goats and horses. They cannot be released to graze freely – it is illegal, the animals have owners. You cannot leave them unattended either – they will die. In addition, Father Vladimir took on the care of 20 local cats, which come to his garden once a day and are fed by their mother.
Archpriest Alexander brought bulletproof vests for the priest and the mother. In this village, even your own garden is unsafe.
Archpriest Alexander is ready to defend his homeland not only with words, but also with weapons.
Photo: Grigory Kubatian. Go to Photobank KP
WHAT DIDN’T YOU BRING BEFORE?
We ask the soldiers stationed in the village if they need help. Are there any wounded? The fighters reply with restraint, everything is fine. The radio in the hands of one of them is breaking down: the enemy has launched an attack and the guys on the front line are now holding it back.
It turns out that there is a wounded man. He had been injured for a long time, but the fragments remained in his body and were displaced. Now he has difficulty walking. We need to take him to the hospital for an X-ray. The ambulance will not go here, it is dangerous. We are taking him with us. If they help, they will come back.
The guy says he is from Kuban. He is engaged in electronic warfare, fighting enemy drones. Several aircraft fly to Bolshoye Soldatskoye: from small FPVs to the hefty “Baba Yaga”. The enemy changes frequencies, stopping their drones is not easy. This is what an electronic warfare operator has to do.
We took the fighter to the hospital and helped him out of the car. The surgeon swore: why didn’t they bring him here earlier?! But the main thing is that they brought him here.
While we wait for the results of the X-rays (they confirm that the fighter needs help), volunteer Dima manages to contact his mother in the Sudzhansky district. The parents are alive, but there is shooting everywhere. I send a message to the Ministry of Defense to let our people know that there are still people in the village. The Ministry of Defense replies that the information will certainly be passed on to the soldiers in that area.
A day later, a message arrives: the village of Spalnoye has been liberated by the Russian army! Dima’s parents must be evacuated. I want to believe that everything will be fine.
