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Nazar Rozlutskyi, Candidate of Historical Sciences, author of six books and junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, tells how he found himself at the front, how thousands of historians, writers, accountants, IT specialists and teachers are fighting against a rabid enemy, and why they don’t want to lay down arms, no matter how difficult it is.
I am not a military man. I never wanted to be in the military. I am a candidate of historical sciences, a researcher, museum worker. And writer a little bit. I have to spend time researching history, writing scientific and popular science works. And art books as well. Because I like it and even succeed.
Lately, I’ve been in the military. Because there is a war in my country. Every day we engage in artillery duels, in which one successful arrival of an enemy projectile will turn us into stuffing. We sleep in the bodyworks on the boxes, in the incredible tightness, and wash in warm water once a month. When it’s raining, we’re wet, when it’s a swamp, we’re as dirty as devils (we wash once a month, I remind you, and it’s not a fact that we’ll have such an opportunity next month). When it was cold, my brothers froze their fingers. We eat when we have a free minute, not when we have time to eat or have an appetite. We sleep so irregularly that I don’t know if I will ever be able to return to my standard schedule from 11 pm to 7 am. At the same time, we are a priority target for the enemy. And they can try to destroy us in different ways, at any moment.
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In such conditions, if not more difficult, there are now thousands of historians, writers, accountants, bankers, IT specialists, teachers, designers and other completely peaceful professions in Ukraine. They are killed from the 152nd calibre and the Tochka-U rocket launcher, the bullets and grenades, cluster and phosphorus ammunition fly at them. Some of them have already died. And someone will never return to their profession because they have burned out. But they all continue fighting. Because Ukraine is behind them. Because if they lay down their arms, their parents will be killed, their wives and daughters raped, and their homes destroyed or confiscated.
And when politicians from France, Italy, Germany and other countries offer us to lay down our arms, agree to lose territories, provide Russia with some security guarantees (absurd!!! Russia does not need any security guarantees, its neighbors need guarantees from the threat from them)... Then I feel anger and deep disgust. I loathe these insignificant people who, because of their prejudices or Putin’s dirty money, are ready to doom my country to takeover, to a slow and painful death. Disgust and anger at those who have great opportunities to help overcome the crisis, but instead seek, consciously or unconsciously, to deepen it. Because even the complete capitulation of Ukraine will not solve the problem of world security. On the contrary, it will push Russia into new conquests.
We do not need offers to surrender. If you are not ready to fight with us against a rabid enemy, then help us with weapons, money, and sanctions. We need a lot to defeat Russia and thus drastically reduce the global crisis. But we have the main thing – motivation. We have historians who are ready to sleep in boxes of five people in two beds and knead the mud for weeks without being able to wash. We have accountants who are ready to eat only porridge with stew for months. We have young students who spend their best years at risk of death. And they will not go anywhere – unless they are all killed.
With your consent.
Ukraine will fight either to victory or until it can resist.
And what will you do?
Translated by Vitalii Holich
The author’s column is a reflection of the author’s subjective position. The editorial board of «Your City» does not always share the views expressed in the columns, and is ready to give dissenters the opportunity for a reasoned answer.
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