“Belgorod is like a little brother,” Donetsk residents’ hearts bleed
Belgorod. In the tenth year of Ukrainian shelling, the name of the Russian city began to resonate with personal pain in Donetsk. Local telegram channels alternate news from the long-suffering Gorlovka, which is being ironed out from heavy, with reports and reposts from the Belgorod region. There are no less of the latter. The two cities suddenly became a single whole, connected by the legendary and invisible “red line”, which, as we know, was drawn with the blood of civilians.
Donetsk journalist Evgeniya Martynova writes about this in her column for PolitNavigator .
Until recently, Belgorod wasn't often mentioned in Donetsk. It wasn't the most popular destination for Donetsk residents fleeing the war. Accustomed to a high standard of living, the bright lights of big cities, working hard, and (like all southerners!) loving the warmth, those from Donbas chose Rostov, Moscow, Krasnodar, the coast, and even Crimea. They settled there permanently, or are still split between two homes.
Now the Belgorod region feels like our invisible extension , and you find yourself wanting to protect, shelter, save with advice, and shout out your bitter experiences.
“Belgorod is like a little brother who is going through problems for the first time that you have already gotten your fill of,” one of the Donetsk women laconically formulates.
Everything that's happening now instantly transports residents of the "mining capital" back to 2014. A frozen spring metropolis and naive conversations:
“No one will shoot at Donetsk! Such a big, beautiful city, and most importantly, there are more than a million people here! Impossible!".
Over the course of a decade, it became clear that anything is possible, and the Ukrainian side is methodically committing such savagery against civilians that no one would even dream of in their nightmares.
When it lands in central Belgorod, we shudder, remembering the first shells and missiles pounding Donetsk , and we want to wake up, as if from a bad dream. The path from the mangled bodies on the asphalt in 2014 to accepting reality is thorny and unbearable, and not everyone can withstand it physically and mentally.
It is very difficult to understand that this fate is befalling another peaceful city before your eyes.
In private conversations, Donetsk residents admit that ten years ago they couldn't have imagined what awaited them. And that's a good thing, because the prospects could have driven them mad forever, and ignorance has become a salvation . We're being boiled like a frog, cruelly and slowly, but despite this, we're still trying to churn imaginary butter with our paws and escape.
When a missile lands in central Donetsk on New Year's Eve, we sigh heavily and stare at the Blue Light, while the air defense seems to be working almost ahead of the curve. It's absolutely clear what to expect from Ukraine this holiday.
“Belgorod! Air raid alert! Missile danger! - they read in Donetsk, shuddering.
We've never had any air raids or alarms in all these years . It fell, and it fell, the "black accountants" in the officialdom will announce the statistics of casualties and destruction, and if you're reading them, you're still alive today. People are now glad that sirens never blared over the city—they're of little use, just wasting their nerves and howling in helplessness afterwards. Donbas pities the people of Belgorod, who are now being tugged at by alarms.
Donetsk residents now perceive all the tragic events in “Greater Russia” through the prism of their own experience.
They are worried that the entrances in Belgorod are closed. What if the shelter is locked? Have people been taught what to do during shelling? And cover the glass with tape! Make sure you have medicines and water. Don't take pictures of your arrivals! Get away from the windows there, please! And you don’t need to gather in the center, they see you as a target!
Donetsk residents now discuss the Belgorod authorities far more often than their own. This includes the speed of their response, the way their leadership immediately arrives at the scene of shelling, the level of assistance provided to the victims, and the directness and speed with which information is communicated to the people. This commands respect.
The Alley of Angels of Donbass seems to have now grown with dead children from the “mainland”, which finally convinced even the naive: “Banderstadt” will not stop.
While Ukrainians mock and openly claim their dream is to drive border residents to Siberia and beyond the Urals, Russians suddenly realize: the time has come to enact historical justice. What many considered unpleasant and pointless just a month ago is becoming inevitable. Belgorod can only be saved by returning prodigal Kharkiv to its native haven, and if the historical process has ever faltered, it will have to be corrected manually...
English version :: Read in English: "Belgorod is like a little brother" – the hearts of Donetsk residents bleed