Volunteer Michael Uhman publishes new episodes of their service in the ATO. This time a story about two foreigners who came to fight in the Donbass as a part of voluntary battalions.
My friend and I met Schultz at the station Pokrovsk. Dutch volunteer who came to fight for Ukraine. We got into the car. English almost do not speak. I foolishly said Schultz: “Flovers (flowers), crack (drugs) and here (cheese)”. These things they are popular. He answered me in broken Ukrainian “Salo, vodka, Shevchenko.” My knowledge about the country was limited. To this list, you can add football club “Ajax”. Information about Schultz Ukraine, too, was small. But we somehow get along. And continued on his way to a military base.
The guy is madly in love with Georgia. Studying their customs and language. He too was painful to watch as Russia invaded the country during the conflict in 2008. So when the opportunity presented itself to take revenge on the Russians, Schultz came to us. As he says, it’s one of the reasons. On the Internet he met an Australian volunteer Gerald, who fought on the side of Ukraine. He told the Dutchman about all the features of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The first days of stay in Ukraine were funny for a guy. He was given Callsign “Bandera”, gave Ukrainian cap “mazepinka”. He studied the names of Ukrainian dishes, eating soup. In the kitchen, cleaned the barracks, washed, fired and run — all in the best tradition of “dobrobatov”. He had been taught that the words “thank you”, “good”, “bad”, “no” is a bad word, Russian. And need to say “thank you”, “good”, “rotten”, “no”. After studying the guy got to the front. The city of Marinka met him fighting, rains and the beginning of decay army. Schulz was difficult to understand why they shoot, and they should be silent. Why are there soldiers who are in the middle of the day drunk. But if the advance of the Russians, who will fight?
A few days I had the opportunity to hold the post along with Dutch. Mixed impressions. Only the separatists begin to shoot, he shot at them like crazy. Grenade launcher, machine gun, automatic — everything was burning in his hands. On the radio ask, “Who shoots? To stop”. I give it to Schultz. He angrily mutters: “Damn Russia, damn officers traitors”. Sergeant positions later tried to put the guy in the outfits of the day, when the insurgents usually slept and to open fire was not necessary. And some soldiers hid from Schultz Vogi (explosive rounds), as he was showered in dozens of “separable”.
There were moments when Schultz could have been killed. However, he hasn’t left the fight and did not go to his prosperous Holland. This went on for several months. Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly screwed nuts. Even when the separatists were shooting at us from all kinds of weapons, the boys aren’t fired, adhere to the “regime of silence”. The Ukrainian government had hoped that the OSCE would affect the aggression. However, nothing changed. And Shultz left Ukraine. Went to Georgia for a rest. And then we came to Syria to fight against the Russians, who support the Assad regime. He did not understand why we are on their land, scared to shoot at Russian military to get rid of them and start to build their lives.
At the same time, along with Shultz was the Italian Giuseppe volunteer. The story of this man is unique. It is almost ten years he served in the Italian special forces. Then I was transferred to a private security firm. Traveled around the world. Mainly to Africa. And defended his clients on business trips. Frequently dropped so that these people were dishonest, and they tried to kill him. For that Italian has two bullets. Only body armor saved him from death.
When the war started in Ukraine, he decided to come and help our children. His way of fighting, Giuseppe started in the battalion “Azov”. Participated in various operations. The ability to fight repeatedly saved the life of the Italian. When the volunteer unit began to transfer under the National guard, he left it. Did not want to fight under the command of corrupt officials. Went to Africa to earn money for the family, which moved to Mexico.
After some time, returned to Ukraine. Went to fight in the “Right sector” (extremist and banned in Russia organization — approx. ed.). Here, too, showed itself in all its glory. Stood in the most dangerous positions. Once in Marinka almost became a victim of a mortar attack. In the evening, the militants started shelling the city. Shells of 152-caliber lay down in residential neighborhoods. Houses crumbled like cardboard. Some shells fell near the house, where the rest of Giuseppe’s fellow. The light disappeared, the ceiling began to fall on the heads of the guys. They were in the dark jumped out, ran to the cellar, which could fall from the wind, and began to wait until the judgment time. One of the shells exploded 70 metres from them. Cellar began to crumble. Another shell, and were covered in a mass grave. The militants stopped firing.
Giuseppe was among those who helped put out civilian homes. While fighting, they were approached by civilians and started screaming that those were cleaned from Marinka. They say that because of them people fire. The Italian stood and did not understand what the population wants. Now he is in the area of Donetsk airport. Dreams, when the war is over to move to Ukraine, his wife and children and live in the Carpathians.
The war continues. No one knows how it will end and when. However, I am glad that there are guys in the world, like Giuseppe and Schultz who care about the fate of Ukraine.
