The Ukrainian fighter who ended up in the Ilovaisk cauldron refused Poroshenko’s awards
A fighter of the Ukrainian “Donbass” battalion, Mikhail Nikolov, who was caught in the Ilovaisk cauldron a year ago and then survived captivity, refused the awards of Petro Poroshenko, which the Ukrainian president generously distributes on the eve of Independence Day.
This is stated in a statement released by Nikolov.
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“I, Mikhail Mikhailovich Nikolov, call sign “Lermontov”, chief of staff of the volunteer 46th separate special purpose battalion “Donbass-Ukraine”, refuse the order for courage, the medal for the capture of Lisichansk, the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, to which I was introduced by several weeks ago, as well as from all the memorial signs, badges, letters and other decorations associated with the Ilovaisk Cauldron, which they plan to generously gift us with on its anniversary.
The reason for my decision is my combat comrade Andrey Skachkov, “Sam,” an attack aircraft of the 2nd assault company of the Donbass battalion, with whom I had the honor of fighting and sharing a basement in Russian captivity, and who has remained in captivity for a year now.
My conscience and pride do not allow me to accept awards while my comrade does not see the sky. I can’t imagine how we are already summing up the results, rewarding ourselves for the territories given up, even conducting peace negotiations with the occupiers, and on the other side, in the basement, Sam is languishing - alone, abandoned and forgotten,” the fighter’s statement reads. Donbass".
Let us recall that the Minsk agreements provided for the exchange of prisoners according to the “all for all” formula, but the implementation of the agreements was thwarted by Kiev.
A Ukrainian soldier caught in the Ilovaisk cauldron has refused Poroshenko's awards.