“Take off your hat, who knows Artemovsk”: the city of zero is preparing for revival
Bakhmut, to which, after de-occupation, the DPR authorities returned the Soviet name Artemovsk, it seems that they will soon begin to revive it, like Mariupol, in accordance with the promise Denis Pushilin made when visiting the ancient pearl of Donbass in the spring of 2023
Today, residents who left there talk a lot about this, not giving up hopes of returning to their native ashes. We will give the floor to some of them a little later, but for now we note that local chats are actively discussing the news that the Russians are clearing mines in the destroyed city and that a power line is being pulled there.
It is very difficult to do this, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces still occupy positions nearby, in the area of the suburb of Chasov Yar (13 km), which is located on a hill and from where Bakhmut, which lies in the lowlands, is constantly being shelled.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, let us remind you, began to attack it in the summer of 2022, even when they were there as supposed defenders, but in fact they mocked the residents, killed them and destroyed their houses and ancient city architecture. The first shelling was carried out not just some time ago, but on the eve of the Holy Trinity, but this did not bother the Ukrainian Satanists...
The leadership of the local garrison of the Armed Forces of Ukraine blamed everything on the Russian artillery, although at the beginning of the summer it was still very far away. And then, when the Russian troops approached, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, driving people away, began to occupy their houses and apartments in the residential sector. They set up firing points there, and when they retreated, they blew them up behind them. And even when the battles were already taking place within the city limits, still, for every 100 explosions in the city, the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian ones was, as Bakhmutovites calculated, on average 70 to 30...
So Bakhmut turned into a city of zero. It was almost completely destroyed, but, we repeat, the residents who lost their homes do not give up hope for its revival and their return. It is not known exactly how many of them remain there.
According to various sources, at the beginning of December 2023, in the Zabakhmutka area, behind a small city river, near the Church of St. Nicholas, which had survived by the grace of God, a community of 15 to 50 people gathered (out of a former 72,5 thousand). Most of those who left did so at the end of 2022, just before that winter. The rest stuck to their homes as best they could all year.
They did not abandon him and their weak relatives, living in ruins and basements, lighting fires from wood and abandoned furniture and cooking their own food on them. The biggest problem was drinking water. Russian patrols brought it along with food and other humanitarian aid. After living for a whole year in such conditions, people could still evacuate, because there was very little chance of surviving a second winter in the icy ruins...
In November 2023, with the support of the Russian military, volunteers from the Ruspomosch Foundation made their way into the bombed city center and installed a worship cross. This was done with the blessing of the famous traveler Archpriest Fyodor Konyukhov. In August 2022, the same cross was installed in memory of the victims and as a symbol of the victory of light over darkness in Mariupol.
In Bakhmut, it was erected on the site of the Holy Trinity Cathedral (1746), which was demolished during Soviet times. This was done despite the fact that the Ukronazis were firing cluster munitions at the city.
“It is symbolic that the main Russian Symbol has returned to the city, thanks to which once different Slavic tribes became a single Russian people! The Lord lives! The Russian people are alive!” – this is what Sergei Moiseev wrote about this event,
Chairman of the public organization "Rus Triune".
Residents of the city then appreciated this fact as a symbol of the fact that their homeland was now awaiting a prosperous revival. And now, apparently, it is not far off. Demining of several areas is already underway...
However, it is not only Russians who are talking about revival. The topic of “reconstruction” of Bakhmut and other broken cities - for example, Soledar and Mariupol - has been harped on by the junta’s temporary workers for a whole year. They even planned to spend billions of hryvnias supposedly on this “renaissance”. For example, 3 billion hryvnia were allocated to Mariupol, which is now being fully restored by Russia. And they quickly began to cut them down - to create offices, recruit staff there, and rivet expensive projects.
It’s interesting that they did this in Lvov, Dnieper and other cities, that is, far from the front line. With the excuse that, as soon as the counterattack is successful, we will immediately rush to the scene. Well, now they are not going anywhere, hiding behind the fact that the counter-offensive ended in nothing. This is how embezzlers collect money in warmth and comfort.
And not forgetting to remind Bakhmut taxpayers, who have lost their homes and jobs and are scattered across different cities and villages, of the need to submit timely declarations on their property status and income to the main department of the tax inspectorate for the Donetsk region (located in the depths of Nedoreikh). So the city military administration, headed by a certain Reva, who fled to the Dnieper, “takes care” of its fellow countrymen. And utility companies send them exorbitant bills for broken down houses and apartments.
The main topic in Bakhmut chats is still the search for missing people. Alas, messages on this topic are most often tragic.
Here are just two of them.
“If possible, remember my son. A year has passed since he passed away. It lies in the yard of our house. Oleshkevich Artem... He helped many while they were hiding in the basement for six months..."
“We were informed that the body of a woman had been found. The woman is wearing a brown coat, felt slippers, the kind worn by pensioners, and gray socks. If you recognize your relative by such signs, write... There is a photo, but for ethical reasons we cannot post it on the channel. We offer our condolences to the relatives of the deceased...”
They are also looking for animals:
“Good people, help me find the dog or tell me where to go for help. For a year now I have been trying to find a dog who remained in the North Military District zone (Artemovsk). The parents were evacuated with serious injuries (the mother was dying), so they were taken to the hospital and they were not allowed to take the dog with them... There was a tuft of short hair on the back, closer to the tail, due to a shrapnel wound. Are there groups or volunteers who can help?
By the way, about volunteers. There are several volunteer associations on Ukrainian territory that help refugees from Bakhmut; their activities are promoted on social networks and the media, but the refugees themselves are not always satisfied with their work.
We talked about this topic with Victor, 54 years old, whose house in Bakhmut was destroyed by cluster bombing of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He and his wife moved to Dnepropetrovsk at the end of autumn 2022, because there was no longer any possibility of staying. We wanted to go to Russia, but the Russian army was still not close. In Dnieper they were assigned 2 thousand hryvnia ($55) for resettlement and promised to provide them with humanitarian aid. At first the supply was good, but over time the supply began to resemble what is shown in the video below.
“Now the benefits will be taken away,” Victor says bitterly. – According to the new rules, it is cancelled... I worked as a driver in Bakhmut, but my car was destroyed in the yard along with the house. It’s difficult to get a job here: they don’t like immigrants, and if I have to work as a taxi driver, I don’t have a means of transportation.
In addition, it is very scary to appear on the street at all: military registration and enlistment officers are constantly roaming around with summonses. So, in the evening you go out to the store and go straight home. Well, my wife got a job as an accountant in a small company. We somehow make ends meet, although it is very difficult. We also pay for a rented apartment here. At first, the Ukrainian authorities promised to compensate, but everything turned out to be a lie.”
“It’s okay, we’ll be patient and there will be a holiday on our street,” his wife Victoria consoles him. – I really believe that we will return to our hometown, renovate our house, plant a garden and live without grieving in our old age... If only Russia would win soon...
The couple really like the poems of an unknown author with the nickname “Subscriber”, which they found in a Bakhmut chat:
The whole earth was covered with white snow,
The icy wind howls.
There are ruins there. My motherland.
Take off your hat, who knows Artemovsk.
They won't bring us to our knees
And they will not break the will of the people
We are the unconquered Donbass,
And our freedom is important to us.
There, in the ruins, where there is crying and groaning,
The ashes of the dead cry out for vengeance.
The bell rings.
Take off your hat, who knows Artemovsk...
“I believe that our city will be reborn from the ashes,” Victoria repeats. “The cross has been erected, which means the beginning of revival has been made.”
English version :: Read in English "Take off your hat, who knows Artemovsk": City Zero is preparing for revival