Just mom

In the village near Omsk, Nastya Dubrovskaya lives. She is 31 years old, and she has eight children whom she raises alone, constantly balancing at the poverty line

- Let's get acquainted! Who is the eldest here?

“Mom,” answers the highest girl. This is Alena, she is 12. She is dark and brown -eyed. Alena lists all her brothers and sisters indicating her age.

Vladislav, 11 years old. The same as the older sister is dark, but a manly restrained. Alexandra, nine years old, fair -haired, blue -eyed. Further Masha and Katya (eight and seven years). Independent Matvey, he is five. I went briefly into the room, brought a laptop, opened some cartoons, began to interfere with the conversation, and the sisters took him to the kitchen. The next Mikhail, three years. I was not present at the meeting, I was in kindergarten. And the youngest Vlad, two years old. While we talked, she, curled up, was sleeping.

Having completed the acquaintance, Alena is silent. I immediately confused everyone.

- Well, how do you live in such a cramped thing?

“Okay,” says Mom Nastya.

“Normally,” repeat Alena and Sasha.

“Not easy,” says Vladislav.

Why gave birth?

Everyone who meets in Nastya on the way will certainly ask her two questions. "Are these all your children?" - And the second: "Why gave birth?" So it seemed always. "Why so much?" “Even her mother asked her about this.” So it was after the first posts on social networks that public activists wrote about Dubrovsky. Nastya just called unknown people and asked: “Why, really all your children? And why did you give birth? Pluted poverty, fool! "

Alena, Sasha, Masha, Katya, Misha, Vlad, Matvey and Vladislav Photo: From Personal Archive

When Nastya gave birth to her first daughter, she was 18 years old. And to the husband of Alexander 29. A year before, he arrived at Kalym in the village of Stepnoy, where Nastya lives. So reliable, purposeful and cheerful, easily achieved the location of a seventeen -year -old girl. The next ten years she gave birth.

- As a child, I dreamed of being a policeman, then an artist (for several years I went to the district center to an art school). I never thought that life would turn out like this. How many children did you want? One, ”Nastya laughs.

She talks about this under her daughters, they seem to perceive her words absolutely calmly. Or pretend.

- We did not plan to have so many children. It really happened. For example, Matvey did not want to, but doctors forbade an abortion. And the ruler was overlooked.

- That is, how did it look at?

- Well, like that, they did not notice the pregnancy.

Having some health problems (in particular, the gastrointestinal tract), Nastya turned to the therapist. The doctor listened to complaints and prescribed something to improve digestion. He rejected suspicions of pregnancy and even, apparently for persuasiveness, wrote a certificate on this occasion. The symptoms, however, did not disappear. A month later, pregnancy was nevertheless confirmed. The doctor was fired, and Nastya gave birth to Vladislav. Talking this case, mom strokes the younger daughter sleeping on the bed. She wakes up, sees an unfamiliar man giggling sisters, turns away and continues to sleep.

The doctor rejected suspicions of pregnancy and even wrote a certificate on this occasion for persuasiveness

Six months ago, the question: "Why?" He confused Nastya, brought to tears at once. Probably because she herself does not know - why. It seems that she asked him again and again, looking for some explanation. “I am a woman, I should have children, and I am realized in this” - such arguments do not suit society. Entertaining, absolutely strangers in essence demanded from Nastya some additional argument, demanded a sacred reason that would explain the birth of eight children. But Nastya could not find the answer, no matter how deeply she dug.

Anastasia with her daughters Katya and Masha photo: From a personal archive

- Why gave birth? She asks herself. - I could not help but give birth. And point.

She realized that she was wounding herself stronger than any most evil language. And forgave herself. And it seems that she did not forgive people. Because I still did not understand the reason for their aggression.

“I see a pattern,” says Nastya, “the further a person lives from me, the more tolerant he is to my situation.” There is no one to expect help in our village. Only condemnation. For example, geese went into a strange garden. In the yard autumn, the gardens are empty. But no, the hostess went to the village council and wrote a complaint. Not too lazy. People are constantly calling Omsk only to express my contempt for me, to say the muck. But the city also has those who help. And the main assistance comes from Moscow and St. Petersburg, and from there-not a single reproach. Why so? Are some other people live there?

***
- Guys, if you had a magic wand, what would you make?

“House,” Masha replies.

“House,” Katya repeats.

“A million,” says nine -year -old Sasha, “a million to buy a house.”

House

Dubrovsky live in a small village house in a small settlement steppe, 50 kilometers from Omsk. The house is small not only for a family of nine people, it is basically small. Probably 25-30 square meters. Three living rooms, kitchen and toilet. Each room is six or seven meters. You look, and it seems - all the rooms are forced by beds. Small beds in which little people sleep. In one (girls' room), in addition to two sleeping places, there are cabinets and a narrow desk along the walls. On the table is some kind of antediluvian monitor. Turned off or broken. Near with neat piles, notebooks are laid out. On the bedside table lies a good laptop.

In another room (where two boys and a girl live), two seasoned beds and a crib with high sides. The wall has an old closet.

Misha, Vladislav, Vlad, Katya, Katya, Alena Photo: From Personal Archive

Another tiny kitchen, in the middle of which a narrow and short table. If two adults sit down for each other opposite each other, their plates will meet in the middle. Dubrovsky eat in two, and sometimes in three shifts.

Neither the bathroom nor the soul in the house. Only a toilet and a sink. Residents wash them to the basin, and once a week go to a neighboring bathhouse. Firewood into the bathhouse is divided with neighbors in half.

The house is very warm, clean and smells of milk.

- When we entered here, there was no heating, the ceiling sang, the house went with a shaking. The husband corrected everything with his own hands, repaired, plunged. Now, you see, well -groomed, quite suitable for life. Only cramped for us.

This is not the Dubrovsky house. The owners moved to Omsk, and a large family was allowed into the house. So they have been living for the fourth year. There is no rent. Nastya is calculated only for light and water. He says that at any time they can be asked to go.

- If they ask for tomorrow, I don’t even know where to serve. Let's get back to my sister.

The sister of Dubrovsky lived for about a year, immediately after the death of the Nastin's father. Before his death, Nastya and her husband and then still lived in three children in her father with her parents. Here, in the steppe, she grew up. Ordinary village family: dad, mom, three children. Over time, the older brother and sister moved, began to live in the neighborhood. Dubrovsky, like a large family, received a plot of land and began to build their own house with 200 square meters.

- The husband at that time earned well, and so many children did not scare us.

Alexander worked for a long time in Omsk, in one of the largest bridge -planning enterprises in Russia NGO Mostovik, and even managed to take construction or repair orders on the side. And then an ugly story happened with the “Mostovik”: the general director Oleg Shishov was imprisoned, the company went bankrupt, the property was sold out, and tens of thousands of people were left without work. Alexander including.

In March 2017, the husband went north and did not return. Nastya and the children were left without funds. Even for food

The construction of its house stopped. The new Dubrovsky house is bare walls and a roof. To feed the family, Alexander began to go to the shifts in the northern regions, took up any work and spent less time with his family. And then Nastya died at Nastya.

- After his death, my mother asked us to move out. I wanted to establish my personal life and, thank God, improved. At first we moved to my sister, and then we were allowed into this house, where we are now living. And at any moment they can ask to leave him.

Alexander in a gymnastics class; Michael in the garden; Sasha and Masha; Misha; Sasha; Ekaterina photo: from personal archive

And it costs unfinished. Husband Alexander still tried to engage in them independently in the intervals between shifts and Kalym, but in March 2017 he again left north and did not return. Since then, Nastya and her children have left completely without funds. Even for food.

In September, after the spread of the story about Nastya in social networks, Alexander arrived home for one day, beat his wife in front of the children and left again.

-And why did you beat something?

“I didn’t even understand,” Nastya shrugs his shoulders. “But we will forgive if he arrives.” It is worse to stay alone.

***
“Money is not the most important thing in life,” Alena suddenly says.

“That's right,” Nastya nods her.

- And what is the main thing, Alena?

- So that people live well.

“Wrong,” Nastya shakes his head.

- And what is the main thing, Nastya?

- Friends.

Money

This chapter could be called "friends", but Nastya has no friends. She quickly lists the people who betrayed her, and comes to the end that she had no one to open. The only people who humanly understand her are a brother and sister. The brother is sick, but, despite the nervous ailment, he willingly responds and provides Nasta with all possible help. Sister and a mother of many children herself, she has a triplet. It seems that she is one ready to listen to Nastya and morally support. But outside the village there were many people who were ready to help Dubrovsky financially.

Anastasia with sons Matvey and Misha, daughters Katya, Masha, Sasha, Alena on the show of monkeys photo: From personal archive

The first few months after the departure of Alexander became the most difficult for his wife and children. According to Nastya, everything that the state gives in terms of direct financial support is 6700 rubles. Two younger ones, Misha and Vlad, go to kindergarten, for which Nastya pays 1200 rubles for each. About two thousand rubles go to pay utility bills. Total for a family of nine people, she has something about 2300 rubles.

In the spring, about 20 thousand rubles per month were required for food and mandatory economic expenses. For example, only 12 kilograms are leaving the Dubrovsky washing powder in Dubrovsky.

In April, a Moscow activist, collecting donations for orphanages in the regions, knocked on Nastya on Facebook. We met. The activist wrote a post, and several people responded, offered help.

“They helped us before,” says Nastya. - Usually things. Here, people helped to gather children in school by the first of September. But it happens that they do not just help us, but they care about us. For example, Vladislav we have a very musical boy. He has a good hearing. One woman from Omsk paid for her son the tutor of the game on the guitar and invited Vlad to join the classes. So for two years he was engaged in weekends. And another family from Omsk all the spring helped us with products. They just brought and gave it out. And once, it seems, in April, they arrived in two cars, took us and took us to the circus. I don’t remember when we all like that together we got out somewhere and have fun.

After the publication of the first post on the Dubrovsky family, caring people from Moscow and St. Petersburg began to help out. Many just make small donations. And someone asks what the family needs, and helps objectively. First, the children were given a laptop, and their mother was a freezer. Then they advised to make a cow and transferred money to the purchase of animals. Now Dubrovsky has a full rural economy: a cow, pigs, rabbits, hens, geese. Nastya walks around the cow and pigs, and the content of rabbits and birds is the care of children. In the summer, the cow gave up to 14 liters of milk a day. This means that the family is provided with milk, butter, cottage cheese. Plus a garden. In winter, they will grind a pig and will be with meat.

The house that is built photo: from the personal archive

Now Nastya has a goal - to learn how to sew on a typewriter. There is neither a tailor nor a seamstress in the village, even there is no one to sew a zipper in a jacket.

-In my arms I can, it remains to master the machine. And then I will teach the girls, how many assistants are growing, we will open a whole workshop here!

***

- Want to learn how to sew? - I ask the girls.

- Yes, yes! - Shouting.

- In general, who are you planning to become when you grow up? What do you like to do?

“I like to braid everyone,” says the eldest Alena. - And I will be a teacher.

“And I will be a gymnast,” Masha says and sits on the twine.

“I will lead the bank,” says Vladislav. - I just love mathematics and I think well.

“And I will be a mother,” says Sasha.

The material uses links to publications of social networks Instagram and Facebook, as well as their names are mentioned. These web resources belong to Meta Platforms Inc. - It is recognized in Russia as an extremist organization and is prohibited.

The material uses links to publications of social networks Instagram and Facebook, as well as their names are mentioned. These web resources belong to Meta Platforms Inc. - It is recognized in Russia as an extremist organization and is prohibited.

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The poverty of the mother is large