"Identified only by the DNA test." Three days of the war of the scout Sokolov

On June 20, in the city of Kirishi, Leningrad Region, 22-year-old intelligence officer Alexander Sokolov, who died in Kharkov, was buried. He fought for only three days, but for several months he was "missing." A week ago, he was posthumously awarded the title "Hero of Russia". The correspondent of the North. Realia went to Kirishi and talked with the mother of the deceased.

From St. Petersburg to Kirish a little more than 160 kilometers, you can get to the south of the Leningrad region in a few hours by bus or train. Immediately a comparative arrangement of Kirisha is striking in the eye. Thanks to the oil refinery, this is the richest city of the Leningrad region. On the streets, numerous trucks with the Gazprom Neft logo.

On the way to the house of Natalia Sokolova, there is not a single letter Z. But the city, which survived the bloody battles during the Second World War, is forced by monuments that proclaim the world.

"It would be better if you were alive ..."

Alexander Sokolov was born on January 16, 2000 in Kirishah. Sasha’s father, according to official figures, also “went missing”, and according to unofficial ones, he died when his son was five years old. The deceased Sasha is the only child in the family.

Natalya Vladimirovna raised her son almost alone. True, up to 10 years old, a grandmother helped to educate a boy who came to them from the Far East. Natalya Sokolova herself moved to the Leningrad Region in the mid-1990s, even before the birth of her son. Now she is 51 years old, the last 15 she is fighting oncological disease. Two years ago, she was removed the kidney.

Half a life Natalya works as a psychologist. He owns, according to her, by many practices-"from a bodily-oriented approach and massage" to "correction of a biofield online and from a photo", "Diagnosis of the aura of the energy field" and the like.

- After the death of my son, I try to think about myself, and not about the "hopelessness of being." I try not to change. I promised him. I still can’t cry, although tears are strangling. Son, you are a hero! But at such a price ... it would be better if you were alive ...

The call with the message that the deceased son was awarded the medal, she waited more than a month.

- In fact, I do not need this medal. She, you know, is already for a given. The most important thing for me took place - they found Sasha. I am glad that our authorities did not shut up and assigned him the title of the hero posthumously.

The battles for Kharkov and the adjacent cities have been going on for the sixth month. Russian troops occupied the outskirts of Kharkov on February 24, on the first day of the war. On March 2, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Alexei Armorovich, called the battles for Kharkov "Stalingrad of the 21st century." On August 1, due to Russian shelling in the city, 30 objects were damaged: multi-storey and private houses, a city stop of transport (there was an excavator driver Nikolai Tokar), cars, and property of enterprises. According to the American War Institute of Research (ISW), Russian troops for several months held positions in the Balakley and Bolshaya Kamyshevakhi area and can now use these two districts as bridgeheads for an offensive operation. Russia continues the night shelling of Kharkov, Nikolaev and Nikopol.

"I forbade weapons at home"

In childhood, Sasha loved to read, danced in the ensemble "Russian Souvenir", was engaged in sports rhythm, - says mother.

- He passed on folk dances a year. He liked it, but the teacher was not lucky. And with me he danced everything. We never learned to dance, but danced. I am a psychologist by education, I have all the practices of bodily, dance, meditative. When Sasha was small, I dragged him everywhere with me. And then ... Then he began to play the war. Grandfather Sokolov along his father’s line - tanker, lieutenant colonel of the Western group of troops, served in Germany and Hungary, and his paternal uncle - an officer. From genes you will not get anywhere. I forbade weapons at home, said: "There will be no war in our house." I wanted to somehow intuitively take him from this attributes of war. Nevertheless, Sasha dragged this weapon all his life, studied it.

In the 8th grade, Sasha Sokolov joined the search detachment. Under the Kirisha during the Second World War there were fierce battles.

“He himself neatly cleared his excavations,” the mother recalls. - I asked him: "What is the fact that you find mostly bottles hint of you?" He answered: “I don’t know. What do you think?” And I said: "It is important what you fill these vessels." Then Sasha joined the "Krechet". He ran there three times a week, until he left for the army in 2020. “Krechet” is a section where young people are preparing for the army, adolescents are trained by a man who served and passed hot spots, ”explains Natalya.

Having received a certificate about the end of the 9th grade, Sasha went to study on the nurse. In the last year of college, Covid began. In the summer of 2020, Sokolov was opened by a covid hospital in Kirishah. Natalya Vladimirovna says that during work, her son was very neat and careful. They both did not have coronavirus-for Sasha’s mother, the infection would be especially dangerous due to her oncological disease.

-Despite the fact that while working in the covid department, Sasha passed the final exams and was de facto nurse, he was paid as a orderly, that is, almost half as much. Even here the state deceived. He was simply taken and the diploma was detained. Therefore, officially he remained a orderly, although he worked as a nurse, - his mother is indignant.

Having worked for a month and a half in the hospital and received a letter of thanks to the Governor of the Leningrad region "for selfless work in the conditions of the pandemic," Sasha decided to join the army.

- After the college, he said that he did not want to buy a military ID. I decided to do everything "honestly." He had an option not to join the army because of my disability, because I have one. For medical indications, I could not let him in. I even tried to regulate them. She asked: "Sasha, why are you throwing me?" In general, I constantly asked him a question: "Why, having the hands of a healer, are you reaching for war?" - recalls Natalya.

Sokolov almost immediately signed a two -year contract to get into the second special forces brigade of the State Public Staff of the Ministry of Defense. In the war, he was a corporal and a nurse-reconnaissance.

"On February 24, I screamed"

The last time Natalya saw her son on January 16-on the day of his 22nd anniversary. Alexander just asked for a day from the unit to spend a holiday with his mother. At the beginning of 2022, the special forces was not sure whether the contract should be renewed. At that time, he had about six months to serve. After the army, Sokolov planned to receive a higher education - either at the legal or at medical faculties.

According to her mother, in early February her son warned her that he was leaving for exercises.

- Sasha said that there would be no connection, and asked not to worry.

On February 11, Natalya went on vacation to Brazil. According to her, she did not believe in the possibility of war, the stories about pulling the Russian and Belarusian borders of the Russian troops seemed "just exercises."

- I found the war in Brazil. For a long time I could not believe that this was true. February 24, I just screamed. I understood that Sasha was there, that he would be thrown out, ”says Natalia.

Soon, the Russians almost around the world blocked the cards, the dollar exceeded a hundred rubles, and the airline tickets went up four times. In the difficult first months, Natalia was supported by new friends in Brazil. A friend provided her with housing.

She was able to get a ticket and return to Russia only in April. It turned out that in March, paper came to Kirishi that Alexander was "missing."

- They could not find me. Documents about "missing" came home from the military registration and enlistment office. Sasha’s friends went into the apartment and did not know how to tell me about this paper, ”says Natalia. - But before returning, I already prepared myself for the possible death of my son. It’s good that I was there ( in Brazil. - SR ). In Russia, it would be harder for me to live all this.

22-year-old corporal Alexander Sokolov died on February 27, in Kharkov, three days after the start of the war. The surviving colleague of Sasha spoke about his death of his mother.

“He blew himself up with a grenade,” Natalya Vladimirovna says quietly.

According to the military stories, on February 27, two groups of scouts reached a mission in Kharkov. In the first group, only three people survived. The second group - it was in it that Sokolov was in - should have taken the TV show.

- Sasha was wounded in the area of the pelvis or spine, his legs refused. Then his group, by some miracle, broke away from the pursuers and stopped, since the technique was already out of order, everything was knocked out ... They looked that there were laid out with the guys. Sasha was chopped by Promedol and transferred from KAMAZ to the Tiger tank. The guys provided him first aid. But it was necessary to leave. As one guy wrote to me later, everyone, without saying a word, wanted to pull out Sasha, but he decided to stay. I learned from the colleagues that my son was left to cover his comrades with a grenade in his hand, ”says the mother of the deceased.

Natalya calls the miracle that her son’s body was returned to Kirishi. She still does not know how much time he stayed in the tank and who pulled out his remains.

- We all were waiting for the liberation of Kharkov from the troops. But the city is still neither there nor the sam. The commander said that they found Sasha on the exchange. I don't know what price they paid. When I arrived from Brazil, they told me that the St. Petersburg lieutenant colonel, Gareushnik - his son served as a lieutenant in the Sashina brigade - bought the body. And what is there from Sasha after a grenade in the tank? Plus everything burned out. And almost four months passed after death. Only by the DNA test they determined that this is my son, ”says the mother.

The relatives of Alexander were sure that the remains of the scout would be found thanks to the token. But it turned out that Russian soldiers left identification signs in military IDs.

- When I found out that they did not take tokens at all! I would like to swear all this ... The token is worn on themselves - it is identifying all over the world. And they did not take them ... - Alexander’s mother is indignant. - How was it at all to identify my Sashka? How? And how many more such missing are?! Could wait two years when they find Sasha. I will honestly say - it saved that he served in the GRU, and the fact that they promised to pull out all their guys. Everyone who had exits to the FSB was asked about Sokolov, shook from all sides.

"After all, there are the same guys like ours"

In 2013, Natalya Sokolova had a dream to leave for Ukraine to do dolphin therapy. Together with their son, they traveled half the country: they were both in Odessa and in Crimea.

“Who knew that then Sasha would be in Ukraine ...” Natalia sighs. - He had many friends there. The service for him was just a job. It is one thing if the war began, and he would sign a contract. And here it was not so. He went to serve, but he wanted to go to the intelligence officer in a good part. He said: "If you go to the army, then I want to learn something else. To get a second profession." So he received.

Natalia says that he is not hatched for anyone after the death of his only son. And he sympathizes with "all people: both soldiers and civilians."

- I sympathize with the same Wecens who are killed and removed from the basements. After all, there are the same guys like ours. That they are bonded, that ours ... I am grateful to those hands who were eating the remains of my son from the Tiger so that we could buried him. Even if they were Naziki or not Naziki, no matter how they were called there!

The most terrible Natalya Sokolova considers "neurolinguistic weapons that zombies people on both sides." She calls herself apolitical: she says that she usually does not watch the TV, the media practically does not read. But in the spring, however, she read everything about the war and especially about Kharkov, in the hope of finding out at least something about her son.

- I do not know whether it was possible to have a different, peaceful development of relations between Russia and Ukraine. Perhaps after eight years of the conflict in the Donbass, nothing could be done. But I want it to be completed as soon as possible, so that our guys do not die there, so that no one would die there at all. Neither guys nor residents. I hope that God's fishing will somehow settle everything. I have no logical solution in my head, ”she adds.

After the death of Alexander Sokolov, the 2nd separate team of special forces of the RF Armed Forces, where he served, a decree of Putin was awarded the title of "guards" Order named after Zhukov.

- Our general problem for many years was “formatting people” and the lack of meaning of life among young people. I came to kindergarten - you are at once no one and nothing, to call you in any way. And the children need to say: "You should not become a man. You were born to them. And your task is to remain." And we say that they must necessarily become someone. But no one recalls that they are already born people. And in order to live and not survive, it is enough for them to understand their goal in life.

After the death of her son, Natalya found another meaning of life for herself - she wants to make a portal of help for those who are looking for her relatives who are missing: the idea that if it were not for the help of the Sashin colleagues from the GRU, she could still look for him, does not give her rest.

- When I was looking for Sasha, there was nothing, everything was blocked. Ukrainian site "Look for your own" also blocked. I want to have a project in the form of a chat: with psychological, and with legal, and with any help, ”says Natalia. - Friends sent me the information that Ukrainians everywhere hide my Sanka. They write that his grandfather and grandmother were raised that there was no parents, that Putin does not pay money. But these are fakes ... Sanka - what, the personification of all Russian soldiers? Not a single war makes the good ... Now all Russians are fascists, and Ukrainians are Nazis. Where are the people?