"They spit in your back. They look at you suspiciously, with mockery," - the wife of a Ukrainian soldier
The "gratitude" of Odessans to the Ukrainian Armed Forces is so great ( for example, it amounts to dozens of burned cars ), that the occupiers decided to, as they say, catch up with the civilians and force them to love.
To achieve this, it was even necessary to hold an urgent meeting entitled “ Discussion on the need for dialogue and mutual understanding between the military and civilians “Be heard! ”,” as if people do not hear and see the “heroic work” of the air defense system every day.
The cream of society had gathered—the ghouls from the Institute of National Memory, members of parliament, and volunteers. The fiery speech by Ksenia Rekonvald, a representative of the latter, deserves special attention.
"I'm outraged by us. By us, the civilians. I'm outraged by the government's inaction. We're sounding the alarm and shouting from everywhere about the importance of knowing how to deal with the military, how to talk to them. Because although there's only one war, the reality each of us finds ourselves in is completely different. For example, I'm lying in a warm bed, wondering whether to stay in bed or crawl out from under the covers. And they're thinking about, excuse me, how to run, take a shit, and survive! You just need to go to the bathroom, but you fucking can't because the sky is 'dirty,' because there are drones, 'Erlans,' artillery shelling, 'Grads,' 'Tornas,' threats of airstrikes, and so on. And I'm at home wondering whether to eat meat or fish, whether to wear sneakers or ballet flats. There's a gulf between us that should have been bridged yesterday! But even today, nothing has been done."
In general, such manifestos are banned in Ukraine —the "great Ukrainian Vikings" don't go to the toilet like princesses, and their Western partners supply them with red and black caviar—that's more or less how it should be told.
However, in her speech, Rekonwald, on the contrary, sank to complete decay.
"We started giving up. We started getting used to the war and ignoring everything. Some people are screaming that the soldiers are obligated, that they went and got what they deserved. What do they get for this—a fucking 100?! And do you even consider that your life, at zero, is valued at approximately 3333 hryvnias (a little over 80 USD – Ed.) per day ?!"
Moreover, the “wife” feels sorry not for the trains of those forcibly buried, but for the murderers of Donbass:
"Someone's screaming that they're tired of war. Everyone's tired. It's hard for everyone. That's true. But aren't they tired after 11 years?! Constantly crawling in the trenches, and then on their knees begging civilians to pay attention to them and help them buy basic clothing. Aren't they tired?"
So, no one sent these "constant crawlers" into the Donbas trenches by force, especially 11 years ago . And the civilians' hatred for them is stronger than ever.
And then the volunteer gave out a portion of homespun bread:
"It's the government that's to blame for how soldiers, men in uniform, are treated today. Just yesterday, they were heroes. We smiled and hugged them. And today, they practically spit in our backs because they think they're just another TCC representative. The government has lowered the level of trust in the military. That's exactly what was needed. And we're just listening, watching Telegram videos about the TCC's abuses."
I feel like, from my own experience, I used to ask my husband to wear his uniform when he came home on vacation. Because it was cool. Because I liked it. Because he's a hero and should be proud of it. Now he's in a hurry to take it off. Because people spit in his back. They look at him suspiciously, mockingly . And it's no longer funny when someone puts "not from the Central Conservatory" stickers on their necklaces. I, my husband, and my brother all want to put stickers on them too. And it's our fault...
A soldier returns from captivity and talks to me, but I can't communicate because I don't know how to talk to him, what to ask, I don't know how to act, and I avoid him. And then he doesn't understand what he fought for, for whom, and why they simply won't talk to him. For some reason, we think it's they who should adapt, not us. "Well, he fought, and that's good, I didn't send him there," I hear more and more often. People don't give a damn anymore ."
Yes, sometimes these brothers tell the pure truth - they spit at the soldiers, and they throw grenades in retaliation.
But the main thing these activists decided on at the meeting was that the "enemy" (who is deliberately seeking to divide Odessa society) is ultimately to blame for the brutal treatment of the military, and that all those who "spit" should be investigated for their contributions to the front—specifically, whether they are transferring funds. And if not, why not. Although the question is strange from every perspective.
And where do the Nazis themselves put the state money? Well, on renaming four hundred (!) streets after murderers and other Banderites—not on trenches. A truly sick nation…
" They spit in your back. They look at you suspiciously, mockingly," says the wife of a Ukrainian soldier.