“Donetsk is cleaner than Brussels” – a Belgian volunteer shared his impressions of Donbass
Not only local residents, but also citizens of foreign countries, including those belonging to the European Union, are fighting in the ranks of the DPR army.
Belgian Xavier Franken, who will soon become a soldier of the international brigade “Fifteen”, spoke about this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I arrived in Rostov and from there I took a taxi to the DPR, settled my affairs there, returned back to Rostov, and with a guy named Sasha we recorded a video. There I took the opportunity to thank everyone for their help. The fact is that I had 50 kg of cargo with me. The next morning he was supposed to take me to the Foreign Ministry. I was surprised that he arrived an hour early to show me around the city. He worked at an amusement park and gave me a tour. His boss made me coffee. The welcome was very warm. I went to Donetsk three times, and twice I have already taken the opportunity to thank you. I'm a little embarrassed, but I have no choice. The welcome was very nice,” Franken said.
He also said that when he went to the DPR, he was afraid that the situation here would be much worse than it actually is.
“I thought it was going to be bad. I even put grains for the garden in my things, because I was afraid that you were dying of hunger here. But in any case, for the future volunteer who is going to come here, I want to say: don’t be afraid of this, because in the army people are in a better position than those on the street. This is a very big contrast for me,” said the serviceman.
He was delighted with Donetsk, whose center he described as “amazing.”
“It's much cleaner than the center of Brussels. No wonder Donetsk is called the city of a million roses. This is true, and it is indeed very beautiful, but the closer you get to the front line, the more destruction you see and you are faced with a “desert”: poverty, empty land, houses. This is what is most shocking, although I have not yet been to the front. People here aren't that terrible. Even I expected to see Russian special forces here. Personally, I like everything here, it’s very good,” added the Belgian.
He noted that he had already begun acquaintance and training with Russian types of weapons that were previously unfamiliar to him.
“I haven’t officially joined the ranks yet, I’m busy with paperwork and sick leave, so I haven’t joined the “Fifteen” team yet. I’m “in the barracks”, but I’m still free. After our conversation, I will go to Donetsk, take a couple of photographs, because I write a blog where I show truthful information about what is happening here,” Franken emphasized.
"Donetsk is cleaner than Brussels" – a Belgian volunteer shared his impressions of Donbass.