Fire for Syria

The fellow traveler, about whom I now, went to me seriously: they flew from Irkutsk to Moscow, and this is still quite a long time. I was sitting by the window, and he was in the middle chair, to the right, and really missed it, directly soared. It was evident to read, he had absolutely nothing, so he did not find and what his eyes to stick into. It will sleep for some time, then wake up, twist his head, rustle with a bag of some chips, look into an empty black porthole on his own reflection, moves his finger on the phone screen of some pictures back and forth, try to doze off again, but no. Finally, nevertheless, he turned to me and carefully-with the question of whether Moscow is coming soon, ”said.

Who I am to him: an unfamiliar middle -aged fat man with a beard. To the right of him is another one, but without a beard. The choice is equivalent, but I got the conversation. I almost did not interrupt him, only occasionally with a simple grunt I confirmed that yes, I listen, I understand and I am interested. And it really was very interesting. But only so, sitting your elbow to the elbow, do you begin to record? Therefore, only at the airport, as they arrived, right in the luggage hall sat down on a bench in a corner, where they pushed less, and there he wrote down everything that he remembered from the conversation, at least fragments of phrases, just so as not to lose anything.

The fellow traveler was years, according to my estimates, barely thirty, and maybe, for example, twenty -eight.

His name was Nikolai.

Nikolai was a military man.

He serves in the Far East, under a large city with an airport. And he began just by the fact that, they say how “Transaero” was closed, flying to Moscow became very expensive, and you won’t wait for those tickets, the queues for several months in advance, we must wait. And now, now, when it is very necessary, with transfers, and not with one, but with two or three on the way there, and back as much, besides, these are bad, long, it happens, and you will spread the whole night at some airport. He needs to fly to his parents, under Belgorod, he tries to get out two times a year, although they pay for military passage only once - and the second is at his own expense.

Now just for his own, and therefore saves, so in Irkutsk there was a third transplant. But back in Moscow or on a train to Belgorod to get to sit down, or look for some bus-they are inexpensive from the Lenin Mountains or away, from the warm camp.

Ukraine got out in the conversation almost immediately, so after the first few phrases it became clear what would be interesting. From this part, I also recorded a lot of things, so simple, technical, ordinary: how those who wish are transferred to Novocherkassk, officially, according to documents, there are several parts for this. They arrive in such a part, as usual, for service - and they disappear there for a while. You don’t sign anything, you don’t get any papers, but on the contrary, you pass the identity certificates, the insignia, rewards, badges, chevrons, email emblems, change the SIM card, you get a different name and appointment to a new position.

This all technology, however, has once told at Echo of Moscow. True, he did not tell why they are doing this.

For the sake of this newest position - it is usually two steps of the above on the rank - everyone goes to Ukraine and go. Well, who agrees. The money there is small, only one and a half times more than the usual salary in a calm garrison. And the position - yes: who, for example, comes to the lieutenant, and receives the position of major. And with such a position it goes to fight: for example, there was a company’s deputy commander, and his castle commander of the battalion is being taken to the war.

You wait there, in Novocherkassk, while they drive these partisans, they will put them on, they will give them weapons, they will teach a little - and everyone is loaded in the column, and go ahead.

And the trick is that then, when you return, back to the steps to the old position - by rank - they no longer let them go. So you remain at the major, as it were, you go somewhere where you agree to be transferred by report, and so you continue to serve there: above two, otherwise, it happens, and three steps. This means that the title will also be tightened soon. It turns out a quick jerk: one - and jumped. Well, and who served very far somewhere, where it was hard, cold or the ass just in the tundra, the chance to jump out in a good place, closer, warmer, more fun.

For this they go to Ukraine.

There were many more interesting details, Nicholas just in a hurry, without any pressure, he told me, in my records there was a lot of everything left in this Ukrainian part. But I will leave it somehow for later. There will be another case about Ukraine. In the meantime, about another thing that it seemed to me, perhaps, even more interesting.

Nicholas serves in the part, which, under that large Far Eastern city, protects the large military special zone. There is a lot of everything: there is also a technique in long -term storage, in oil, in capital hangars, there is also a motorized rifle training, there is a large helicopter part with a training training ground.

And there is - the main thing that is guarded just is a large arsenal of ammunition: there are aircraft bombs, missiles of different types, and artillery shells of different calibers and appointments, and mines of different types, and simply explosives.

And everything is very old. Something lies almost from the first post-war years. A lot of and later, but still with a long expired shelf life. It is full of those who have overdue the maximum date of storage for thirty years. Especially a lot of such air bombs, Air -Earth missiles and other air supply.

Previously - for many years, since the eighties - there were special military teams that were engaged in the destruction of this jam. Something was dismantled and packaged for sending to recycling, but basically carried the “Urals” to the landfill, pulled, shot there. But it was clear that it remains a hundred years ahead of the good of this, so little by little - to carry not to transport.

Then, under Serdyukov, some commercial firms appeared, which took up utilization and destruction. They came, loaded, drove to the same training ground - already a lot. But still, at such a pace, warehouses would have sorted out for many years.

And here - Syria began.

Last fall, the first echelon was loaded. Basically, air bombs, uncontrollable missiles, but there are a little min - both such, both in -country, anti -tank, and anti -personnel. The driver with a brigade knows that something explosive, but without details is lucky. The wagons are ordinary, with a civil marking. They usually put it like this: after the locomotive “buffer” - two empty cars or with sand, then ten with cargo, then again two empty ones, the last - “bank”.

“Bank” is because the iron: the same precisely cargo car is an indoor all -metal, sheathed with a board inside, only people go in it - guard. If wagons with a load of up to ten are supposed to be one guard team: an officer and three fighters. If wagons are up to fifteen, two more fighters are added. If the echelon is longer, two guards are traveling.

The train goes to Novorossiysk. There he is overloaded to ships - and to Syria, for utilization. It is convenient. They threw it off, and there exploded, did not explode, hit, did not hit - the main thing was disposed of. They wrote off.

Well, they say, something is also by sea-but in the other direction it turns. There, from Novorossiysk, somewhere on the shore to Mariupol can be unloaded, if necessary. There, too, is there someone to put into disposal, yeah?

Only go to the sea is far: from our places - 30 days, no less. We stand for a long time-either the diesel locomotive leaves, and the train is clinging to some local train. Well, Chukh-Chuh-you crawl from the departure to the departure.

And then at the entrance to the Novorossiysk will have to wait for the queue for unloading. Sometimes both a week and another, you are sunbathing. Such a load is carried out from all over Russia, we are not alone, Far East. Once they stood, waited three weeks. Then they drove us to Volgograd, accepted the cargo there. As it is further empty, without a guard, he got, I don’t know.

But the most interesting thing is how the guard drives. Outside he can’t see it: a car like a car, with the same numbers, with the same markings as everyone else. But only it happens on the move can be seen: here he goes in a train, among cargo wagons, one with an open door. And across the door, at the chest level, approximately, the board is nailed. This means that inside is not a load, but a guard. And the board is to hold on, when you need to smoke, you stand - like on a balcony, at the railing with your elbows, you look around, good ...

When the “bank” in the unit comes under loading, the scheduled guard goes to look. And then, as lucky, you can’t replace: I came so come, accept. Inside, the wooden sheathing should be, but it may not remain, in places or at all, it means that someone has already traveled in the “bank”-they torn it off, they put it on the kind of kindling.

It also happens-a “bank” will come across some broken, with square wheels. You do not recognize this in advance, only on the go. You are exhausted with her: it rumbles, shakes, shakes so that you can’t strengthen on the bunks if you do not hold on to the wall.

And then the burned will come, after the fire. The floor is almost always - you can’t grind like that, you will not flaunt even in the summer. Or below the remains of the old cargo. There is cement, there is fertilizer or some more chemistry. We also saw ankle of manure if the cattle were taken earlier, but it is rarely - they rarely load a live cattle into the “banks”. Worse, if some rotten slurry after potatoes, sugar beets, such something. Then we drive the soldiers, they pull the hose there, wash, scrape.

Now only officers or contractors go to guard. Previously, it was possible to take conscripts, but now they were forbidden: they are stupid, there are completely muddy. Then on the go of which of them will fall out. Then at the station they will be lagged, they will be lost, and then the officer will answer. Or burn along the road: it will melt such a fighter as a diesel fuel, and you won’t have time to jump out on the go. Or the weapon in the gap in the floor will be damaged, and the store from the machine gun - the only way. In general, contractors go, so that without any.

And there is not a lot of danger: aviation ammunition, if with unscrewed fuses - throw them out of the window, nothing will happen. Here are mines - yes, they can shy away, but there are few of them. Well, these buffers are empty - between our load and the “can” - they say, they will also help, if that. Although what they will help there: if it is torn, it is good if they recognize by a piece of some flying one. But without a buffer, he will completely break into dust, there will be nothing to recognize.

As the “bank” came under loading - you go to the warehouse. They give out twelve boards according to the inventory - so that the four sh cells are knocked. But usually individuals do not build, but general bunks are city, in one tier. The bourgeois is still laid. But they don’t give a pipe-look for it yourself. Coal or firewood is also not supposed - collect wherever you want.

They will give mattresses with pillows if you ask. But then to drag him back. On the spot, in Novorossiysk, you leave the “bank”, and everything with you, by train, backward. I took it on the invoice - hand over the inventory. And how can you protect you back in a compartment with mattresses? There, not to turn there, do not take a break, and go back for more than one week. So they take it to a minimum, so as not to take it later. It is better so that everything is written off, old, or from the garbage dump - then you can leave.

Already how many times we asked: do not take away our “bank”-then send us back to the part with all the junk, then another team will go in it. No. Each time after the flight, you clean this one, you throw everything out, you hand out empty, and then, the next time, you collect everything from scratch again to go again.

In short, they also give a broom and a scoop from the warehouse. The lantern is such - triangular - with a glass. Ten candles to it - insert into it. But ten candles - what? For one night only. And then read it dark. For beauty, excessively, to photograph, as they settled down, like for comfort.

Be sure to take an old battery from the tractor somewhere. Two pieces on the whole road are enough to charge the phones, if not completely killed batteries were. It happens that the boys are still a little diesel, it will turn out completely richly. But if a senior officer or a check along the way sees, he will make him throw it out. Well, how to throw it out? They will take it to themselves, that's what.

Once in the trash, they scored - as many as fifteen batteries. The whole wall was laid out by them. So even the old TV was taken with them - then they threw it off. Half a way was enough, worked.

More - since the solar battery was torn there, there was one place. Well, they asked, they were not torn by force, they themselves. But there was little sun along the road, she almost did not give current. I know the fighters who tried to fasten the windmill to the car: you remove at the station, you raise it on the go. The garbage turned out, blows it, oppressed.

So mostly light on the road - flashlights on the forehead, we buy ourselves, batteries for them too. Chinese, cheap at all.

Also, almost everyone has an electronic book. It is enough from one charge for two weeks.

Now from food. Five or seven are issued from the warehouse with standard rations of dry pieces. The rest was scolded: stew, porridge with pork in banks, rice perlut, pasta, potatoes. True, rotten. They will not give other vegetables. Eggs, oils, even at least a combi - not at all, nothing. They will not give flour either. Sugar sand, however, can be poured, a couple of packs. Buy the rest yourself, well, or get it.

Usually, a fighter of one such as to prepare what he knew how to prepare a fighter is taken to the guard team. For this, he is allowed to go into security not always. But on it is more than on others, the duty of food to find on everyone.

Here is such a fighter on the way, at the station, if we stand, and at the Bazar station, he will go to the grandmother. Grandmas will give potatoes fresh, onions, cucumbers. It happens that the oil is a bottle, otherwise the fat will be cut off. But the fat is rare. They can give milk if they ask.

Often there are gardens near the paths, then we take it ourselves. But it’s scary to go far from the train: dick knows, take and go, or even without a beep in general - the driver was said by communication, he touched, but no one knows in advance when. It is believed that it is possible to be alarmed by the driver, if someone is behind - flags, lanterns. But they never look, and everyone has broken mirrors, they are in the figure, who is there behind. In extreme cases, it is allowed to shoot in the air to attract attention, but then they will be asked for each cartridge; Well, to clean the weapon reluctance to anyone.

It is considered to be prepared on the bourgeoisie. But no one cooks, you are tormented by firewood. You buy a small Chinese tile, gas cans to it. Although the gas is prohibited along the road, well, we hide.

Beer, you need to buy vodka too, but how? We already know where: the cheapest - in Novosibirsk, there are there near a commodity depot, seventy rubles for a large eggplant. And then still in the city are kiosks everywhere, they sell homemade beer in a rosel, also inexpensive for them. But as you get to Novorossiysk, it reaches a liter of two hundred forty per liter, but such shit, you can’t drink it straight.

Yes, well, water. You need to harvest the water yourself, you will not run after it at every station, and then, this happens everywhere rusty that you can’t cook on it. We send fighters in advance to the trash of the fighters so that they scored more bottles of plastic and covers to them. We fill with water at home and carry the whole month, nothing, does not go out. The last time they found a whole scattering all, someone threw out the new bottles of five-liter, unlawful: they took two hundred and took it-this is a ton of water. Mray of as much as you want, at a large station they filled out again.

Wash - in the basin. In winter, you can get snow at the station and stagger. Now, if the train stands next to the depot, masterful, there can be a shower at the workshop - we will ask to wash, to wash.

Although we try to wash less: you take the old one, then the shape of the fifth stage, written off, otherwise you don’t feel sorry for the garbage, from the garbage - then to throw it. He advocated a week - in her stove, come on the next one. Old boots are also in the stove, when completely. Do not back them.

Well, even in the “bank” before leaving the necessary one, it happens, we will pick it up. In the trash, too. From the garbage, you can get a lot of things in general. We send fighters: old chairs are looking for, stools, tables, bedside tables, suitcases. It happens that the spring mattress will be dragged on the legs, so you can not pound the bunks then.

It is still good if we go in winter: you will pass the closed in the dachas - we have villages, all kinds of gardeners are nearby - you will have something. Once, they found the staff of the chipboard right, the new one, someone prepared for repair or how. So they offered the whole “jar” from the inside of this chipboard, there was no click left, at least go in shorts. And it turned out beautifully. Then the curtains also found different-from the garbage again, some rifles, old paths. The fighters also had icons, hung them. Kubrick came out right at home, in the town. I will show the pictures, I even took off as a keepsake.

The guard is sleeping on the way, and it works when the train stands. As soon as the stop, it is immediately supposed to put the security: one fighter in the head of the composition, the other in the tail. And go towards each other. During the night we can three or four times like this: get up-let's go, get up-let's go. So, you just jump: either from the car, then to the car. And in the afternoon again.

In the meantime, we can sleep. So we sleep mainly, because it is very bored not to sleep. It’s hard to read, shakes strongly, shakes. There is little light, especially in winter, you sit almost the whole day in the dark. So you just shake, look at the door out, wait until the day ends. The form of sports is very lost, because you are lying or sitting for a month. By the end of the month when you return, you cannot fasten the collar on the neck, does not converge.

This shaking is straightforwardly exhausting, it does not give live: it is especially terribly shaking if they trampled at the end of the train. If at first, then you go more smoothly, but the locomotive is buzzing all the time, signals very loudly, does not allow to sleep. And when he touches from the parking lot, he pulls hard: who travels in the passenger, does not know what it is. In the compartment, the glass on the table will only call, and that’s it. And it happens, it happens that you fly a somersault through the entire “jar”, ​​and you will apply to the stove with your nose.

Денег за караульную службу в эшелонах почти никаких не положено. Рублей сто в день выпишут путевых — и все, больше проешь по дороге. А так — обычная зарплата.

Это же вообще-то и не наша работа — с эшелонами ездить. Есть же специальные дорожные части, их штук пять-шесть в стране. Каждая так и называется — «отдельная часть сопровождения воинских грузов», или рота, или бывает батальон. В Хабаровске есть одна, в Новосибирске, в Архангельске, в Нижнем, по-моему, еще. Но их мало: теперь, когда много стали на Сирию возить, они не справляются совсем. Складов-арсеналов по стране сколько — а еще же обычные грузы бывают, и с техникой эшелоны гоняют туда-сюда, со стройматериалами в дальние городки.

Вот в нашей части постоянно три-четыре команды в пути, отсутствуют на месте. Или в Новороссийск едут с эшелоном, или назад добираются. Кстати, не одни боеприпасы: технику тоже загоняют туда, в Сирию, старую, которая под списание пойдет.

Но вот эти команды, которые из спецчастей сопровождения, — вообще дикие. Черные такие, их сразу на станциях видно, если рядом встречный эшелон стоит. Они месяцами ездят туда-сюда, вообще в расположении по полгода не бывают. Зарастают, вшивеют. Вот они «банки» свои почти никак не оборудуют ничем. Просто доски бросят в углу, не сколоченные даже. Грязища, холод. Обдирают обшивку со стен, жгут и еще редко где угля, солярки перехватят. Вот они и горят часто на ходу.

Эти, партизаны, побираются особенно. Мы тоже, бывает, просим, но не так все же. А эти и к нам приходят: стоят внизу, пока не дашь им тушенки, или там сгущенки банку, сигарет, картошки. Его и войти к себе не пускаешь: из двери вниз кидаешь ему — а он же две недели, может, ни валенки не снимал, ни штаны эти ватные, если зимой.

А еще обратно же едем. Лететь нельзя, потому что мы с оружием. Только поездом. Прямых нет поездов из Новороссийска, так что с пересадками. Ездить можно только в купе и только без соседей: надо, чтоб были все четыре места свободные, когда за посадочными документами приходим. Редко когда такое купе есть, так что, бывает, и пропускаем один поезд, другой, третий, сидим на вокзале, ждем. И так с каждой пересадкой. Иногда туда едем месяц, а обратно выходит — три недели. Пока будешь туда-сюда ездить — надоедает тебе караул твой страшно: уж как выбираешь себе бойцов хороших, проверенных, знакомых. А все равно собаченье, драки — бывает по многу раз за дорогу.

Оружейный ящик как раз входит между двумя нижними полками. Так что стоять в купе нельзя: только из коридора как в нору лезть. Если зимой, то везем комплект караульного обмундирования: тулупы, валенки, когда хорошие остались, нестарые. Так что вообще не повернешься там.

Кстати, через Украину ездить запретили: там была дорога такая, заворачивала совсем чуть-чуть через украинскую территорию, минут на десять, может. Теперь туда нельзя, едем назад через Волгоград и через Москву — это крюк огромный.

За последний год Николай провел в дороге больше половины своей службы.

Когда рассказ его кончился, помолчал, посмотрел на меня, достал телефон.

В телефоне картинки, немного. Но есть и комнатка в «банке» с занавесками и с иконками по дээспэшным стенам. И треугольный фонарь со стеклышком, пристроенный на каком-то столике с побитой полировкой. И огонь в железной печке. И красиво смазанные виды на большую реку сквозь фермы железнодорожного моста. Парни в майках и в накинутых на плечи ватниках вокруг стола с тарелками огурцов, лука, сала, пельменей вроде каких-то и с водкой — подняли эмалированные кружки, улыбаются в кадр. Рыжий с белым котище на ватном стеганом одеяле: глаза ярчайшим зеленым горят в свете чьего-то фонарика — «раз подобрали кота такого на полдороге, до Новороссийска довезли, отпустили, там теплей ему будет, хороший был».

Мало фоток, говорит Николай. Почти все стереть приказали. Все, где в форме кто-нибудь, со знаками различия, с наградами, в погонах. Теперь нельзя, строго спрашивают, чтоб ни одной такой картинки не было. Ни «ВКонтакте», ни просто так, в телефоне хотя бы.

Ну что же, картинок и так хватит, все там понятно, наглядно.

* * *

И вот что: если проедет мимо вас вагон железный с открытой дверью, а в дверях солдатик стоит, на доску опершись, курит — помашите ему. Ему долго еще ехать. Может, до самого Новороссийска.