Operation "Red Troops"

Thousands of people with the territories of Ukraine, not controlled by Kyiv, began to arrive in the Rostov region. Why did they leave?

The evacuation of the population of unrecognized Lugansk and Donetsk “republics” officially began on February 18. The heads of these formations - Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik - made video messages on Friday in which women, children and the elderly were called to move towards Russia. Men aged 18 to 55 are ordered to stay in place - mobilization has been announced in the republics.

The first refugees of the Ukrainian-Russian border were crossed by another 18th, until midnight. Some - centrally, by buses, others - their own or "with good people."

- Thanks to good people, they brought us to the ear. We are from Dokuchaevsk, ”says the woman, who is immediately surrounded by writing and shooting journalists.

The Assumption is the Ukrainian side of the Russian border crossing Matveev Kurgan. On the street is +1, but the cold steppe wind quickly drives the remaining heat of car salons from down jackets. People are wrapped in scarves, press children to themselves. Somewhere in the carry, a cat meows plaintively.

The woman's name is Valentina Panichkina. Turning away from the cameras, her husband peers tensely into the fires of the border crossing.

- Today Siren worked, then Pushilin spoke, and more than once. Cars with these ... like them ... megaphones and reported that they were evacuated by women and children, ”says Valentina Alekseevna. - My husband and I - my husband is sick, oncology - collected everything they needed and left. Thank God, our children live in Russia for 20 years, here we are going to them. In Chekhov.

She calls herself - this is a rarity: mostly people who came from the “LDNR” are hiding from cameras, forbid them to shoot, and even more so do not seem.

The evacuation to the Rostov region did not immediately set: after the performance of Pushilin (“DPR”) and the beekeeper (“LPR”), who called for compatriots to escape to Russia and assured that everything was ready to receive them, the journalists tried to find out for several hours from the Rostov authorities, where and how the arrivals would be placed. The officials were silent. Only by night did the information appear that the Governor of the Rostov Region Vasily Golubev reported on the readiness of the region and requested 5 billion rubles of additional financing from the federal center. Putin ordered the money to promptly allocate money: some of them, including, will go to pay 10 thousand rubles to each refugee.

... there was a second hour of waiting - there were no buses. Traffic jams formed on the border crossing. One - traditional, from trucks - stretched for one and a half kilometers.

“Yes, here forever, ****,” the truck driver, among the first to leave Russia towards the “DPR”, swears. - Forever lines. The Russians are normal, and from the other side they are very angry. And now this is how - *** (end)! **** (bastards)!

The cars score all free space, not occupied by people and trucks: hundreds of residents of the region come to take their relatives. They are basking in salons, they say on the speakerphone.

- Yes, I will not go anywhere! -shouts from the speakers of a white "SUV" a woman, the driver is trying to object to her. - They do not let children in 2004 already - can you imagine?! How will I throw him here and go?!

Among the arrived men are few.

“He brought us, landed us, and he went,” hiding his face in a fluffy hood of a children's jacket, says a young woman. - There is no connection, we plunged in Donetsk at 8 o’clock and rushed away. And he stayed. We have a child - two years old.

The organization of evacuation on the Russian side is observed by three Cossacks, a dozen police officers and inconspicuous “people in civilian clothes”. To the questions of those who have arrived - where is the transport, where to go and what to do - they either be silent, or shrug, or with restraint they are advised to wait.

The temperature drops to zero.

The first bus arrives after an hour and a half, and at first only children are trying to put in it. But adults refuse, the managers doomedly agree. Without noise and disputes, the crowd obediently lines up in a silent queue and disperses within an hour - buses take people deep into Russia.

By the morning, the first official data appear: 80 buses with refugees from LDNR crossed the border with the Rostov region.

The vice-governor of the Rostov region Igor Guskov holds a press conference and talks about the course of evacuation: eight temporary placement points (PVR) are opened.

- at 10:00 I.O. The heads of the Ministry of Emergencies of Chupyan held the operational headquarters in the Rostov region. About a third of those who arrived - children, they are provided with everything necessary - nutrition, medical care. More than 13 thousand seats were prepared in the PVR, they organized delivery by buses from pedestrian, automobile transition points and railway stations. To date, all organizational and financial issues have been resolved, we are grateful to the Government of the Russian Federation for the operational decision. The Ministry of Finance of Russia transferred the funds last night, today these funds have been brought to the Ministry of Labor of the Rostov Region. Today, by the end of the day, arriving displaced citizens will be paid 10 thousand rubles for each person.

The vice-governor clarifies that all arrivals will be tested on Covid, who want to vaccinate.

One PVR is again deployed in the village of Krasny Tan, 20 kilometers from Taganrog. In 2014, refugees were already accepted here, part of the buildings of children's summer camps were still equipped with a heating system.

By the morning of February 19, on the central street of Krasnoye landing, it accumulates to forty buses, in each - 15 people each. Each has children and old people. After spending 12-15 hours on the road, they never received hot meals. The crowd at the entrance from the Kotlostroothel sanatorium is trying to find out from the confused police sergeant how to go to the toilet, where to get hot water for baby food: in some buses - infants.

- For three days we were bombed. Not us, in the sense, but the outskirts of Donetsk, ”says an elderly woman on the bus. - They beat on one edge, everything is heard in the center ( this contradictory information of local residents about shelling is not possible to check - ed. ). Scary, of course. But I will tell you this way: if the chapter (“DPR”) did not speak, no one would go, would not be afraid. In 2014, under Zakharchenko, the point-U flew to us. Everyone hid anyone where, but did not leave. They went for rations - Rinat Akhmetov handed them out. Children went to school. There were no pensions for three or four months, there was no money, but we did not leave anywhere.

- And now what, why did you decide? - I ask.

- First, Pushilin performed, then the beekeeper. They began to call from work, customize - faster, faster.

Other "passengers" join the conversation:

- The buses on which we were brought were from the district executive committee of the Leninsky district.

- The leaders said: “Please evacuate, along with families. Go to Russia - they are waiting for you there. ”

- Waiting. How! Why did we leave?!

- We asked the volunteers who took us out: where are we going? No one knows. Everything is classified, the connection does not work.

Communication in Donetsk, refugees say, disappeared shortly after Pushilin’s performance, this added panic.

- Yesterday, strong battles were along the entire demarcation line. We heard both the South (Donetsk microdistrict) and the eastern - i.e. Completely throughout the line, ”says Victoria B.“ In the center of Donetsk, echoes were heard very well ( it is not possible to check this contradictory information of local residents about shelling - ed. ). Yesterday morning (February 18) it was quiet, at lunch - it began. Then it subsided. Then there was information that there were explosions in the city. What kind of explosions is incomprehensible. They say sabotage. The connection has disappeared - our local Phoenix operator. And when they turned on, they began to come to everyone these SSMESKS: “Attention, citizens! Emergency evacuation is announced! Do not lose self -control! Do not give in a panic! Notify your neighbors about the information received! Follow the instructions placed in the television, radio networks, SMS-informing from the Ros "Phoenix". We invite the owners of personal transport to deprive: Uglegorsk - in the Marinovka checkpoint, PGT Eleenovka - in the School of Assumption ... "

“There is still no connection - we don’t know what is happening there,” Victoria continues. - The men stayed there. How to find out what is there?

- How do you know? Everything is under secret. We can’t talk with us.

- How is that? - I do not hide surprise.

- And so: the phones are listening. What I don’t say, they will come in the evening - they will explain. Who does not understand, he will go to the store - and after four years they will only find.

Upon learning that a kilometer from the Russian-Ukrainian border in the Tarasovsky district of the Rostov region exploded, people are silent from terrible forebodings.

- So it really can be for a long time? -someone sighs.

Again, some woman hides her face in a children's hood.

- I want to go home! - Firmly, without tears, a girl with glasses of eight requires.

By noon, a bus convoy with hungry and tired people goes to another PVR - away from journalists who were flying into the red troops. The streets are empty, reporters are leaving to meet refugees for railway stations and to tent camps, which are defeated by rescuers near the border crossings.