“Things happen in life,” says Marina. “But if you understand that this is your man, don’t leave him.”
Photo: “KP” Archive
“If anything, I love you”
Aleksey, a militiaman from Donbass, met his future wife in 2015, when he was standing with his fighters in her village.
– I saw Marina only a couple of times – she came to the village for the weekend, – he recalls the history of acquaintance. – I think she’s a pretty girl. Once my car broke down. He stopped an oncoming man: “Where is your spare parts store?” “Let me show you the way.” I ask: what kind of girl is here sometimes? “So this is my godfather!” – answered the man. Here I was surprised! Then I got her number, plucked up the courage to call her.
Marina was 21 years old, she studied at a technical school.
“There were a lot of soldiers in the village,” she recalls. – But his black “eight” noticed immediately. At such a speed was worn, reckless. After I wanted to shout: “Do you have a mind ?!”
They started calling. Marina did not know how these calls could end: the military is constantly moving from place to place. It seemed to her that it was impossible to fall in love with a person over the phone.
– Once Alexey sent a text message, from which I realized that everything was not very good: “If anything, I love you.” I called back, but the phone was not answered. And then I realized that without him I can no longer. It turned out that at that moment shells were covering them, and he was afraid that he would die without saying that he loved me, ”says Marina.
A fighter from Donbass who lost his sight told a touching love story with his wife
Photo: Grigory KUBATIAN
I was afraid that Marina would say: “Forget me”
There was no news for an alarmingly long time.
“Then his subordinate got in touch,” she says. – He said that Lesha got into the eye, his cheek was hooked. I called hospitals, but no one knew anything. The guys arrived, the foreman said: “Just don’t cry. Lesha is alive, but… he is in captivity and… does not see. We’ll do our best to get it out.”
And the following happened: in the village of Spartak, during a battle, a bullet hit Alexei in the eye, bouncing off an armored car. They tried to evacuate him, but the car on which they were being transported was blown up by a mine. The wounded Alexei flew out onto the road and remained lying, bleeding. He could have died, but the Ukrainians found him and, blinded, with a bullet stuck in his head, they took him prisoner.
– I came to my senses when they pulled my berets off me, – says the fighter. – They took me to the unit, beat me with boots and butts on the head. They threatened that they would give it to the Right Sector*, and they would cut it to pieces. Then we decided to exchange.
They called Marina again: “Alexey was exchanged, will you go to the hospital with us?” She rushed…
– Most of all I was afraid that Marina would say: “Forget me.” After all, I commanded a platoon, they should have given me a senior lieutenant. Now what? Alexei sighs. – I thought about laying hands on myself. But she came and said: “I need you any, the main thing is that you are alive!”
He was sent for treatment to St. Petersburg. The bullet was removed, but they failed to restore vision. One eye is missing, the other cannot see.
Retells the photos
Alexey and Marina got married. The wedding was modest – for 25 people, mostly relatives of Marina. From Slavyansk, Alexei’s hometown, his mother and aunt and cousin arrived. The rest could not: too difficult.
We went on a honeymoon trip to the Sea of Azov. We even booked wedding photography. Sometimes they look through photo albums together. Marina tells Alexei what is shown in the pictures.
Alexei dials phone numbers with his voice and listens to the news through a smart speaker.
“We didn’t support the Maidan in Slavyansk,” he recalls. – They rallied. They demanded autonomy, the same as in the Crimea. But when troops were brought up from the other side, they realized that there would be no peaceful life. They started building barricades. At first they ran with sticks, then machine guns appeared.
Now only memories and several military awards of the DPR remain about the service in the militia.
Young people bought a house in the village. Marina works at the school, Alexei does housework. Can saw logs or cut off a piece of rebar with a grinder.
“They ask him: how do you do it? Marina says. – He replies: will you put a spoon in your mouth with your eyes closed? Here I can. What he did when he was sighted, he does now. And what I didn’t do, we ask others to help.”
Aleksey, a militiaman from Donbass, met his future wife in 2015, when he was standing with his fighters in her village.
Photo: Grigory KUBATIAN
Master in the dark
Used to living in the dark. First, he counted the steps, put his hands forward. Now he knows exactly where and what is. Therefore, in the house, all things lie in their places.
– When I lost my sight, my hearing became acute. The birds are singing outside the window, but it seems to me that they are sitting on my bed – it was so loud. Now I can hear from the room if people, for example, are standing near the next house.
He has four cats, he knows about their color only from the words of Marina. But when he takes a cat in his arms, he can tell whether she has lost weight or gained weight. There is a small shaggy dog Doll, with which Alexei made a booth. And the formidable dog Lord, who lives in a spacious enclosure.
Alexey breeds pigs to earn money. Now there are 16 of them. He feeds them himself. Build a grain crusher. Makes feed pellets. He wants to buy a press to press sunflower oil. I bought one and a half hectares of land and, with the help of neighbors in the village, plowed and sowed.
Alexei and Marina are planning to have children.
Alexey does not regret that he went to fight. And he is waiting for the victory of Donbass and Russia.
*The organization is recognized as extremist in Russia, its activities are prohibited.
