The Greek, who has been fighting since February 2022, suffers six serious concussions from close flights.
Photo: Alexander KOTS
I already wrote at the beginning of summer about one of the most hellish places in the world at the moment – about the Donetsk suburb of Marinka, where the commander of the “Sotka” assault group, Grek, fought. I return to him. The fact is that the Greek… died.
He was seriously wounded during the assault on the Anthill near Krasnogorovka (a neighboring town to Marinka) and died in the hospital from blood loss. His heart stopped.
But, as sometimes happens with the Greeks, after visiting the kingdom of Hades, he returned again to the world of the living: he was expelled. More than 2 liters of donor blood were infused. Now Grek walks with crutches and even goes out into the hospital courtyard. He smokes and looks thoughtfully into the distance.
Clearly some ancient Greek god is watching over him. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain why death passed by him again. And the amazing thread of his destiny is not broken.
The Greek, who has been fighting since February 2022, suffers six serious concussions from close flights. Last time I was unconscious for seven days. Then the doctors said, “get an MRI.” The weak device showed nothing. “Well, okay,” the doctors shrugged, wrote “food poisoning” on the card and sent him back to the service.
The Greek did not object. While you are resting in a hospital bed, you cannot “fight”, you cannot have fun. And he is approaching 60 years old, he has two granddaughters and he needs help. He returned to duty.
ORDERED TO OCCUPY THE “ANTHILL”
He is always in front. I went to the assault a hundred times. He took prisoners. Lost friends. Of those with whom I began to serve, not a single one remains. And even in his last raiding party, he was the only one who survived.
We are sitting with the Greek on the concrete parapet of the courtyard of the Donetsk hospital. The wounded past, gloomy or animated, limps. They approach and say hello. Many people know Greek and shake hands wholeheartedly. And he winces in pain.
– So you’re no longer from Marinka?
– No. The movement began near Krasnogorovka. It is very difficult there, the art of the enemy is working hard, the cassettes are flying. Everything around him was attacked. They hit exactly the places where we entered.
– Were there no cassettes before?
– We were there from time to time. And now it’s like they’ve gone crazy. It started to rain and rain. In the field, a cassette is a dangerous thing. There is nowhere to hide! To me, Marinka seemed like child’s play compared to this.
– How does the cassette work?
– Well, imagine: the exhaust, the blank separates, and from it – tyr-tyr-tyr – a bunch of grenades fly out. Whether you fall to the ground or not, you will be cut into fragments.
The “Greek” fighter told military correspondent Kubatyan about his salvation after being seriously wounded
Photo: Grigory KUBATYAN
– Was it necessary to cross the field under fire?
– Yes. There was an order to take position… It’s called “Anthill.”
– Why that name?
– There are many enemies. A complex system of trenches and fortifications along the railway. It’s not that easy to take. The place is bad. There is no water, you must carry it with you. If you jump there, you will walk over dill corpses. All this is full of art. But you don’t need to carry the ammunition (ammunition, supply of cartridges, grenades. – Ed.), it is under your feet.
I WAS AT HOME WITHOUT LEAVING THE FUNNEL
-How was the assault?
– At first we walked along the “green path”, then, after a clearing, it was all cut off and bare. The “bird” hangs above him 24 hours a day and does not fly away. And the artillery attacks from the same place, always on target. It’s a matter of luck: if you get it, you will come out ahead. We tried three times and it didn’t work. They put mines in the back, cassettes in front and put them in a bag. We carried out the first assault: two “300” (wounded – Ed.). Second day: three “300”. They retreated again. There was a day of rest and on the fourth day I was the only one left of the entire group.
-What saved you?
– The gunsmith had an apron and shoulder pads. After the first impact and concussion, he managed to jump into a shell crater. He shrunk down and put on his armor like a turtle. Then more arrived. I didn’t even understand the arm thing then, but the leg… it was like they took a log and like that, damn! – with a swing on the leg. Like getting burned with boiling water. I noticed that my pant leg was suddenly filled with blood. The veins were broken, but the arteries remained intact. He grabbed her leg with a tourniquet. I injected myself with painkillers. As I lay there, she began to “walk away.” I was already at home…
– Like this?
– It was so good, warm. I’m at home, my wife is by my side. This is the vision. Hallucination.
RUN ON A STRETCHER OVER MINES
-Who took you out?
– The boys from the third company. The four of us jumped. The first evacuation didn’t work, they started shooting at them. The dills were waiting for the “three hundredths” to arrive, that is, me. The boys walked on soft stretchers, so their straps were cut with splinters. We backed away, waited half an hour, and started again, this time hard. They ran without looking at their feet, although there were many mines there.
– And then?
– They took me to the hospital. I remember the oxygen mask and that I was like a hedgehog with catheters. For a long time they couldn’t hook me up to an IV because there was almost no blood left.
– How many wounds did you receive?
– Six. They didn’t even take out the fragments, because I would have lost more blood and couldn’t get them out. I fainted. I was under a tourniquet for so long! More concussion. Now I speak to you normally, but before I stuttered.
– Is it possible to destroy this “Anthill” without an assault, so as not to lose people?
– Bake with the “Sunburner” (heavy flamethrower – Ed.). Or carpet bombing along with this Krasnogorovka. But they regret it. Why regret?! You’ll still have to build it again.
-What protects you from death? Is there any secret?
– My family is praying for me. He prays well. And my reaction is good too.
