«My husband acted for Mariupol to be Ukrainian,» – a wife of the «Azovian»
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The life before February 24
Ms Oksana is a builder who became a florist, she’s a former resident of Mariupol. After the start of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the woman moved to Lviv. She fondly remembers his hometown and talks about the bright and happy life there.
«It was a happy life – work, Mariupol, family, theatre, friends, coffee shop, travels, children, grandchildren. And it was cool. My team and I were engaged in major repairs of schools and hospitals and made our city beautiful.»
The interlocutor has two children, and her husband, the hero of «Azovstal», was a beekeeper and carpenter before the full-scale war. He had up to 40 beehives and worked with rare tree species. He devoted himself to the pro-Ukrainian movement, the social and political life in Mariupol.
Read also: Mother of Azovstal fighter: «The son asked to pray for them daily»
The only photo Ms Oksana managed to take from Mariupol. She, her husband and their two children are depicted there
«My husband liked to grow plants, liked the garden and the forest, and adored football. He is an athlete, a master of sports in freestyle wrestling, and has many awards. Loves chess, and could play it with someone on the Internet until night. He loves Ukraine very much and gave a lot of strength and health to make Mariupol Ukrainian,» – she says.
The start of a full-scale invasion on February 24
Ms Oksana’s family is civil. Before the war, her family worked and raised children, but since the beginning of 2014, her husband did not stand aside from the fight against separatist movements and joined the «Azov» corps, defending his city and the country. After February 26, his wife did not see him...
«We are an ordinary family that had parents, a job, and children and did only that. But in 2014, when the separatist movement began in Mariupol, many pro-Ukrainian boys and girls united in the «Mariupol Army» organization. They conquered, as they say, every word, every building. At first, they fought with collaborators, then started fighting with the Russians. In 2014, the man went to defend the city and the country, enrolled in «Azov», took part in [the battle near] Shyrokine,» – continues Ms. Oksana.
Read also: «My role is to bless my son and wait for him» – mother of the hero
From the first days of the full-scale invasion, Oksana’s husband did everything possible to evacuate his wife, while he himself remained to defend the city and the Azovstal plant. However, during the defence, he wasn’t in touch with his wife. Where he was, what happened to him, – she learned mostly from hearsay.
Photo from the rally of the family of «Azovstal» defenders in Lviv on July 31
«For a very long time, I didn’t know that he was in captivity because I had no contact with him. I’m sure he lost his phone, so he couldn’t call. The only thing I knew was that he continued to defend Mariupol. I learned that my husband was alive when the entire «Azov» corps left «Azovstal». The fact that he is a prisoner of war was recorded by our side, but the Russians did not confirm this,» – the woman explains.
The exit from Azovstal was obviously not easy for «Azov» fighters. Apparently, there was nothing left to defend. The wife did not fully believe that her husband was capable of carrying out the order to surrender:
«I didn’t believe he could surrender. Because my husband is principled, he will fight to the end. Apparently, there was simply nothing... I am sure that if there were at least one weapon, at least one grenade, he would have stayed there. But there was an order, and they left.»
The search for a husband
After evacuating to Lviv, Ms Oksana began looking for news about her husband, calling everyone who had contact with the military. In this search, she was helped by one of the fighters of «Azov», who managed to break out of Mariupol and not be captured:
«I got acquainted with a soldier who left Mariupol but was not captured. He was also in my husband’s unit. Although they didn’t know each other personally, he began to help me look for him among acquaintances. There was no information. We learned that he was wounded and that on the second of May, the husband was hospitalized, but I did not know to which hospital. So I started calling and looking for him in hospitals.»
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Rumours about him appeared as early as June. On May 29, another exchange of prisoners took place, and Ms Oksana learned from her husband’s comrade, with whom she was in the hospital, that he was in Olenivka.
«Since then it has become a little easier, because I understood where he was. Yes, it’s scary, because it’s captivity. But at least I knew where my darling was. I talked with his comrades who fought with him since 2014, were with him at Azovstal, in the hospital, went out together and, accordingly, were captured together. I thought I knew my husband well, but as it turned out, not completely. All the boys who were with him said that he was a hero. And now, I know it for sure. He is the father of my children and for me now, he is the whole world,» – the interlocutor assures.
About support actions
The families of the «Azovians» want their feat not to be forgotten. That is why they arrange public rallies of support. They prefer to remind the world, authorities, and ordinary people about their loved ones in this way.
«These are not pathetic words – they really did a lot. If I hadn’t been to Mariupol and seen all that, I might have had a different opinion. However, I saw how they fought, I saw what an influx of Muscovites there was in Mariupol, I saw what bombs fell on Azovstal. So I have to shout about it, shout loudly. I want them to be released,» – Ms Oksana explains.
Interactive photo exhibition «Believe. Like. Wait», dedicated to the captured defenders of «Azovstal», is still presented In the park named after Ivan Franko in Lviv
Being able to drink morning coffee in the relatively safe rear is undeniable merit of the soldiers on the front lines, who provide us with a peaceful sky above our heads, she says. They have neither clothes nor food, and it shouldn’t be like that. Therefore, the first people she wants to reach through public actions are the president and other representatives of the government, who must do everything to free the prisoners of war.
«I understand that all Ukrainians at the frontline are heroes, because they protect us. However, they have nothing in captivity. And it’s impossible not to talk, not to shout about it! I think the first person who should hear us is our president. I know that everyone has a lot of work, that he does a lot for them, but I want him to hear the women, because we can’t take up arms and go and liberate our men, we don’t know how to do that...
We’ve always had limited communication with the authorities. Almost no one ever calls. Of course, if we insist on meetings – they happen, but we have to insist on them. And the government, I believe, should help us in this. There is some secret, and there are things relatives should know about, because we are awake and worrying. Maybe we would talk less and go to rallies less often if we knew something about our husbands!» – she emphasizes.
About a flower shop in Lviv
My interlocutor is a female foreman, who now works with flowers. But this is not a business at all:
«It’s true that I’m not for the flower shop, but vice versa. Because I don’t give something to it, rather the shop gives me something. It saved me, one might say. When you don’t have information – a vacuum, you can go crazy. And here, you are in the midst of beauty: plants, flowers, good, kind people. Because people in a bad mood never come for flowers. You must be in a good mood to buy a vase or a flower. And I’m in the middle of this beauty, it distracts me. I’m busy all day because we’re not making enough money yet to have a big profit. Such businesses break even after half a year or even longer. And we have only just started to earn enough to pay half of the rent, not even a salary. But we are optimists. For now, we can afford not to think about money, but to work,» – says Ms Oksana.
Read also: «They looked at us as at the warriors,» – the border guard from Azovstal about the Russian captivity
There is also good news: the woman won a grant and will have the funds. In addition, the local government helped, so there are plans to open a second store, because business needs to be developed.
To my question, what would be the first thing she says to her husband when he comes back home, the interlocutor answered:
«I will hug and tell him that I love him very much. We didn’t talk much about it to each other... So I ask everyone who has husbands, tell them more often how important they are to you, how much you love them, that they are heroes to you. Unfortunately, you begin to understand this when your husband is not around, and this is very important... I will cook him borscht, cut lard, fry potatoes – this is what my husband likes very much. I will feed him, and then we’ll gather as a big family, which is waiting for him. Children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends – everyone will definitely come to Lviv, because there is no way to Mariupol yet, and then, we will decide what to do next.»
Ms Oksana is not sure that when her husband returns from captivity, the country will immediately need his help. Ultimately, everything will depend on his physical condition.
Speaker: Marta Baidaka
Text: Roman Tyshchenko-Lamanskyi, translated by Vitalii Holich
Video: Volodymyr Panchuk. Photo by Ivan Stanislavskyi
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