Do not be silent

Two days ago, several Russian families rolled over the picture of the world: they learned that the Russian armed forces were sending soldiers to fight to Ukraine. No, they did not get lost on the border near the Rostov region, as the Ministry of Defense tries to convince Russians. The fact that Russia is waging an undeclared war in a neighboring state, the relatives of the paratrooper of the 98th landing division of Yegor Pozhotoev, who initiated the appeal to Vladimir Putin, are sure of the paratrooper to help in the liberation of ten children who were captured in the village of Mirror near Ilovaisky, where the most fierce battles are underway.

Several relatives of the paratroopers gathered in a basement with yellow shabby walls, where the council of soldiers' mothers of the Kostroma region usually meets. For some reason, the “Repair of shoes” sign leads to the basement, and the assembly itself looks like its undergrounds organized it, waiting for a minute waiting for raids. Here, in these walls, they write a seditious appeal to the president, who now looks like a traitor in their eyes.

Among the gathered there are not enough relatives of several paratroopers. Yesterday morning, the mother of Palette Ivan Milchakov, who lives in Khanty-Mansiysk, was ready to beg for the Ukrainian side so that they allowed her son to call her, and a few hours later, when the Russian military was talked to her, categorically refused to communicate with the press. I guess what happened: families tried to intimidate so that they would not raise a rebellion.

And many agree to be silent. So in July, native of the 14 military personnel of the 45th special forces of the airborne troops, who, according to the official version of the command, were “on vacation”. The relatives of the Pskov paratroopers who died in Ukraine, the quiet funeral of which were the other day in the village of Razbuta, also said nothing. For some reason, families of captured Kostroma Weadsers did not be silent. The fact that their sons and husbands were on the territory of Ukraine, they learned from the Internet.

The authorities showed them lists: in them two killed, about ten wounded, prisoners and one missing.

“Everything turned out by chance,” says Lyudmila Kocherova, aunt of the prisoner Yegor Pochtoev. - We learned about everything from the Internet and just began to arrange a bilia ourselves. And they (the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. - Ed.) Did nothing. When were they going to tell us about this? And if there were no Internet, how would we find out what happened? Wouldn't you recognize?

In the morning, to the passage of the 331st regiment of the 98th landing division in Kostroma, the line of wives and mothers of soldiers, who recently went to the “exercises” in the Rostov region, lined up. The authorities showed them lists: in them two killed, about ten wounded, prisoners and one missing. “If someone is not on the lists, then they are located in Russia,” the commander said. Apparently he had nothing to add. When asked why four contractors failed (and were subsequently fired) when they were told that they would have to go to the exercises to the border with Ukraine, he also did not answer. But the families of soldiers already know the answer.

One woman was late for a spontaneously arising meeting, approached the checkpoint of the military unit, when the relatives were already diverging. From the duty officer, she learned that her husband was dead. It seems that the leadership was not going to inform her of the death of her husband personally.

“They tried to convince us that what we saw on the Internet is a provocation and lies,” says Olga Goreva, mother, Olga Goreva,. - We show military photographs of prisoners, and they say that this is Photoshop. Sorry, but I will not confuse my son with any photoshop ...

The mother of the senior group Vladimir Savoseeva Olga barely restrains tears. He says, in the video where her son gives evidence, he himself is not his own.

“My husband and I are ready to go right now to pick him up,” Olga says, “but no one tells us where to go.” No one has yet contacted us either from the Ukrainian side or ours.

We show military photographs of prisoners, and they say that this is photoshop.

Yegor Ponetoev’s mother says that some captives managed to contact relatives. Her son allegedly called Zhenya at night and said only a few words with a request to help them get out. Olga Goreva believes that those relatives with whom the soldiers contacted prefer to be silent about this: they were intimidated.

By the way, Yegor, like some other soldiers who fell on the Ukrainian side, has a medal “For the Return of Crimea”. Only now Olga began to understand that she was foolish in March.

“While all this happened in the Crimea, Yegor was supposedly sent to the Tambov exercises,” she wonders. - Even the daughter -in -law went there, he was there ... And then he was given this medal for the Crimea. How did it happen? So, he also took part in this?

Relatives of Kostroma paratroopers have many questions. They have no doubt that the authorities are trying to deceive them and hush up the conflict. And if earlier they fully supported the president’s course and, probably, like everyone else, wore St. George ribbons, condemning the Ukrainian fascism invented by the Kremlin, now they are only worried that their children and husbands were drawn into a military conflict, which, as it seemed to them, does not exist.

“Friends do not believe that our contractors could be in Ukraine,” says Lyudmila Kocherova. - After all, there are no Russian troops there, the president and Minister of Defense told us so, and we believed them. We love our president. I, naive, thought that they were going to protect the border ... And now I believe that they are fighting there, that this is an undeclared war with Ukraine. We would not have known about the Pskov paratroopers if this had not happened to us. And now I understand that our guys were betrayed, used blindly. But we are not going to be silent.

In just two days, several Russian families lost faith in the leadership of their country. And if the same as they will not be silent, then this faith, you see, will lose all of Russia.