- Put a piece of wood under it.
- Tell me when the recording starts.
- Hello! May I ask you a question? Just a few seconds.
- There is nothing to ask about. You see what is going on. - What is the situation? - It's okay. - Really? - We are liberating.
- What? - May I ask you a question? - What question? - Where are we located now? - It's Nikolaevka. - Yes. - How old are you? - 50. - Fifty? - Yes.
- Can you tell me where are we located now? - Now? Nikolaevka settlement. - What has happened here? - Here? Nothing. We are liberating the territory. Simply. - Have you been mobilized? - Yes, I have. - Mobilization? - Mobilization.
- Have you been for long a soldier? - No, I was a civilian. I was a welder. - How many days already? - Almost from the start of the mobilization. - One-two weeks, right? - Less than two weeks. - What will be going on now? In the nearest time.
- Peace. - Really? - People will stop suffering from the shelling in Donetsk. We've been suffering for 8 years. Sorry but it's too long. So many civilians were killed. It's not okay. Enough. - And how far is Ukraine? Do you think it will control Donetsk and Lugansk?
- We had a nice life, there are many nationalities. We didn't insist that there should be only Russians. There are many nationalities exist. But somebody decided they are higher than all the rest. The nation created by Lenin. Before the revolution, there was no Ukraine on this land.
There was Malorossiya, Novorossiya. Our tsars built these cities. According to history, the Black Sea was dug up with a sapper shovel and they poured the Caucasus Mountains. Sorry but it's ridiculous. - Not long ago Nikolaevka was under Ukraine's control, right?
- May I ask you a question? What is this? - This? Some guns. Probably. - And how long ago Ukraine was here? - Without Ukraine? - No, how many days ago Ukrainians were here? - Long ago. They came initially. How? Donestk people opposed the coup. And they put their soldiers and weapons here.
And started to shell. - A few days right? - Eight years. It's going on. People are against it. Against this government. - I mean this exact settlement. - This settlement? I don't know. - This settlement is not for long, right? - I'm not local, I don't know.
- How long have you been here? - Not long. - A few days? One-two days? - Yes. Approximately. I say, I have been mobilized not long ago.
- Your son is in Donetsk, right? - Yes. - What would you like to say to him? - He should wait for me. I hope I'll meet him soon. - When have you seen him last time? - About 4 years ago. - Ukrainian troops went away a few days ago, right? - I know they are not here.
But I heard a fire fight sound. So they are still left somewhere. - And how do you feel about this? Is it good or bad? - It's very difficult. - Is there the DPR troops here? - Sorry, I have to go.
- Why don't you go to him? - How? - We are going back soon, we can take one passenger to our car.
- We ran so fast!
- Maybe it's high time? - Is everybody okay? - Yes!
- Hello! May I come in? - Come in? - Yes. - Oh, I don't know, maybe better not? - We'd like to hide with you. - Our conditions are not so well. - No problem.
- Then come in. - Thank you!
- The dog will bite you now. Are you filming us? Why? - To show the truth. About how is it now. - Oh, truth? What truth? No electricity. Unsanitary conditions. This is the truth. - What has just happened? - Whose press are you? - Russian.
- What was the noise? - It was Grad. Multiple rocket launcher. I know this. - Quiet! - Is it often like this? - Well... quite often. It's a war. Oh, I'm kind of uncomfortable. - What's your name? - No, I won't tell. - Say only your name. - Larisa. - Okay. Thank you!
- Is it a shelter for your whole family? - My husband is a farm manager. He is there, saving the livestock. And I'm here with children. He is a good specialist. We have been taking first place in the region. And I'm with him. We hope for peace. And for our farm's prosperity.
We have been living here for 20 years. We built our farm. We have our livestock. We have our children here. And my son studies in Mariupol. I don't know how he is. I can't leave this place because my son is in Mariupol, we are here and my husband is on the farm.
- Are you under shelling now? - The whole farm. So much is destroyed. Everybody lives on the farm now. Because there is no other place to go. Your light is so bright, I can't see you. This is the truth. - Ukrainian troops are not here, right? A few days already?
- I don't remember how many days. Maybe 2-3 days. My thoughts are so mixed up. I don't remember any dates, even what is the day now. - Today is the last day of winter. - Oh, is it spring tomorrow? It's good!
- There are the DPR troops here now, right? - Yes. - And how do you feel about it? Is it good or bad? - I don't know yet. Look at our conditions. The children are sick. Yana! - Why don't you want to leave? - First of all, I need a job. And a housing. - But it's a war here now.
- Where to go? They took away all livestock complexes. My husband is a vet. He knows how to use the equipment. He can't do any other job. Should he work as a loader? Should we then survive for a low salary in a big city?
We had a good salary here. Both our sons study. We have a flat here. And were living a good life. How to leave? And if we go to Russia, again we should find a livestock complex. But certainly, in Russia, we'll survive. In Ukraine because of a high gas price they took away all livestock complexes.
Where to go? I say, where? We have savings. We can rent a flat and just spend them on food. But to find a job... you know yourself how it can be. A tough life. Why don't I leave? Because I hope to save our farm. It's difficult for my husband because nobody can give him diesel fuel.
The generator is broken, we need a turner to turn these flanges. He just doesn't know what to do. So they milk each barn in turn. Yes, we can leave. But how do we pay for housing? I don't have that much money to buy a flat. Do you see? And what kind of job can we get there?
And we need to give education to our children. - You have to stay in the basement while there is a war. - Yes, for now. We hope that we will stay here only for a week. And then somehow. The DPR also needs milk. And meat. Right?
We hope the DPR will support us in this. The owner from Volnovakha promised to keep paying taxes. If something happens. And he'll restore our house. And the DPR needs milk and meat too, right? So I just hope that we stay here for a week and then my life goes back to normal.
That's what I hope for. I don't know if I can say it while you are recording... Maybe you cut it afterwards? - Yes, you can say. - From Valeryanovka they brought so much armament. I'm just afraid that our Nikolaevka will be just levelled to the ground. By Ukrainians. When they will shoot at the DPR side.
Yes, I'd like to leave. But, as I said, where to leave? To live in a refugee camp? But the infrastructure will not recover fastly. Just like this. - How do you feel, are you Russian or Ukrainian? - You know, I was brought up in Russia. I moved here when I was in the 9th grade.
I didn't study Ukrainian. I live in Ukraine. So... But I was born here. When I was 2 years old, they took me to the Far North. There was perestroika and my parents lost their jobs there. That's why we moved here. And tried to survive here. It was difficult. And now there is a war.
And it's again difficult. There is no quiet life for me, you know. So I don't know who am I, Russian or Ukrainian. Tell me, who am I? If one half of my life was spent in Russia and another in Ukraine. These are fraternal peoples. - What is this?
- It's Grad. Are we fraternal peoples? Russians and Ukrainians? - Yes. - My mom is Russian and my father is Ukrainian. And who am I then? And what can be my attitude? And to whom do I belong? And how can I treat badly this or that? I just hope to upkeep my manufacturing, it will be in demand and
I will get my salary. So that I will raise up my children and will see my grandchildren. Like this. It's my personal opinion. The same as the opinion of each of us. Because everybody was born in Ukraine and then somebody served in the Moscow army, for example. We are all mixed here.
Something like this. - Thank you! - Can you say where are we located now? - You are located in the Nikolaevka settlement, Volnovakha district, the Donetsk region.