The mother of a dead Russian soldier is narrated

Gevgeny was killed at Hostomel airport in the early days of the attack in Ukraine. His mother, however, justifies the Kremlin’s decision to go to war.

Gevgeny, a 26-year-old Russian sniper, was killed in the early days of the war in Ukraine just outside Kyiv. He had never been involved in hostilities before. Before the war he served in the National Guard, which dispersed demonstrations in Moscow. He later worked as a kennel worker in the Russian army.

Until last January, Natalia’s mother (not her real name) had never dealt with Ukraine. Despite the loss of her son, however, she believes that Russia rightly invaded the neighboring country.

DW publishes the interview as a testimony of the experience of a mother who lost her son in the Russian war in Ukraine.

When did he become a hoplite?

“Immediately after the high school exams in 2014 he went to the army, initially to a special unit of the GRU military counterintelligence. He had already been offered a contract. But I managed to prevent him because I knew he would be taken to war zones. Then he tried to find He worked for the police and worked for a security company. But he did not like the job and decided to claim a contract. He was fired immediately. He broke up rallies in central Moscow. “He met his wife while working for a security company.”

When did the story with Ukraine begin?

“It was late January. He called me and said he would be taken to Smolensk for military exercises with Belarus. I warned him that he might not come back alive. He was laughing. I do not think he knew where he was being sent to. Imagine being sent to a massacre. Probably no one, not even Putin himself, could have imagined what would happen. Something went wrong. “He loved me and I would have stopped him with the right arguments. But when he set a goal he did not back down. He would never refuse to carry out an order.”

Did you communicate later?

The last time was on the morning of February 24, when it all started. In a WhatsApp message it said “mom the war has started”. I replied “I see it on TV”. “They flew to Hostomel airport. They sacrificed them. I do not know why the operation was so badly planned. They believed they had occupied the airport and then came under fire. From then until March 8, we had no communication.”

How did these two weeks go until the fatal news?

“I did not leave my mobile phone in my hand. Every day I lit a candle in the church and prayed. But he was killed. I could not imagine what happened. He had been in Hostomel since February 24. He was not killed on the 27th of the month, as it is written in death certificate, but most likely on the night of February 24. I was notified on March 8. At 1:30 pm I received a call from his unit telling me that my son had been killed in a battle near Rostov. my logic “.

Do you understand why this war started?

“I think if we had not bombed, the Ukrainians would have bombed us. We probably should have bombed. We had no choice. But something went wrong and no one had predicted it. But now that so many have been killed they can not stop. We must continue until victory “.

Do you understand what Russia is doing in Ukraine? Why did Gevgeni fight?

“My son fought for Russia and the Russians. So that we can talk on the phone today, drink and eat. His death made sense. He was killed for us, to live happily for many more years, not to war breaks out here too, so that bombs do not fall here as well.

Russia prohibits classification of military confrontation as war. Do you think it’s a war or a “special operation”?

“No, it’s not a ‘special operation.’

Oksana Ivanova

Edited by: Stefanos Georgakopoulos

Source: Deutsche Welle