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Zharykov Oleh, Codename Zhora.
Sniper, since 2014.

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I worked construction, redecorations and renovations.

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As they say, my whole family was staunchly patriotic.
They accepted all of this.  

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Honestly, I gave them an ultimatum: “Either help or get out of my way.”  They helped me. 

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They started squeezing us out, as they say, from Mnohopolya.
They were scared that we could dig in there.

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They chased us out into a cleared field, and there they started shooting up the columns.  We got lucky, we made it to Chervonosels’ke, dug in and engaged.

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Later, at night, three sniper pairs got together and decided on what to do next, retreat or stay.

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Because, everyone knew, if they were captured, no mercy was affored snipers.
I immediately said: “I won’t leave the wounded.” 

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Everyone made their own choice. It depended on your conscience, how you would later live with it.

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I understood perfectly well, that if I left the wounded, I would not be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life.

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On the 30th, during the second half of the day, they were already negotiating. They gave us 5 minutes, or so, to retreat, I don’t remember exactly.

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They would just level the village. There were only 2 houses left of the village, and 2 root cellars, in which the wounded and civilians were hiding.

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We left that village closer to nightfall, without weapons. We were captured by Russian paratroopers.

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We spent the night in the field.
The next day they told us to line up.

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Soldiers, wounded, women were told to line up separately. They were led  out. 
They said: “Donbas stay where you are.”

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Then, after two hours, Motorolla’s men arrived; we were handed over to them. The Russians acted like a security detail.

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They asked what they should feed us, what they should give us to drink. They asked because they had nothing, not even for themselves.

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Half of them didn’t even know where they were.
They said they were sent for training.

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We’ve been waiting for you for three days now, Battalion Donbas. We knew you’d be retreating somewhere around here.

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In captivity, everyone acted like they didn’t know anything.  Everyone said that he was a driver, a medic, cook.

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Anything, just not a mortarman or a sniper. They singled out mortarmen and snipers.

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Nearly 70 men escorted us into Ilovaisk. There they stuck us in barracks.

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A local came by, said something got hit during the fighting. And says to the commander: “I need 10 men.”

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We thought he’d give us attitude, like others, that we were torturers, fascists.  As it turned out the people were pro-Ukrainian.

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They fed us right away, started to give us clothing.
Because winter had started, the first snow was behind us. But we were still in summer things.

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Heroic people. They said: “What have I got to lose, this is my home, this is my land. What have I got to lose?”

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If it happened all over again I would do it again, the same way. I’d go fight, I wouldn’t leave the wounded in Chervonosel’ske, even though I’d know that I would become a prisoner of war.
I wouldn’t change anything.

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If only everything would end sooner, I’m tired. I’m tired, and so are others, everyone is tired, who is on the front.

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Especially the families, they’re tired of waiting.