«The Girl Held My Hand, Cried, and Asked: «Are You Sure You Will Take Us Out of Here?»: How «White Angels» Evacuate Children from Donbas
EnglishThe evacuation of children from the dangerous front-line Donetsk oblast is the most acute problem today, which is solved every day by the evacuation police group «White Angel».
Donetsk oblast is the hellish direction of the front, where at least one airstrike occurs every minute on the territory of the region. During the day, the occupiers fire hundreds of projectiles, not allowing anyone to rest — neither the military, who are protecting civilians nor the civilian people, who have been living in basements for more than a year because of the Russian «liberation». And as absurd as it may seem, even children are forced to sit in cluttered rooms, getting used to the sounds of explosions — because their parents decided so. Those who are sure that the main thing is to save housing. At the same time, they simply… close their eyes to their own lives and their children’s lives.
On March 31, it was reported that law enforcement officers will be able to forcibly evacuate children from the front-line zones in Donetsk oblast, precisely those who have become hostages of their parents. The Vuhledar community was also included in the list, in which up to 30 children remained at the end of April. Every day could be their last, but thanks to this decision, the children will still get a chance for a safe life. «Vchasno» journalists got into the voluntary evacuation of a family with children by the «White Angel» policemen.
To get there before the shelling
This morning evacuation was almost sudden for the policemen and «Vchasno» journalists — Natalia, a resident of one of the front-line villages, along with her husband and three children, agreed to leave only the day before, in the evening. Until then, she had been persuaded for a long time — and even under the sounds of shelling, she said «no» or hesitated. However, when another Russian «gift» fell nearby, the family did agree.
To depart from Kurakhove to the village of Bohoiavlenka is better as early as possible, so at eight o’clock the «White Angel» policemen are already getting into an armored car. In the background, systematic loud explosions can be heard — law enforcement officers no longer pay attention to these sounds, checking whether there is everything necessary in the car.
In the car, I meet the «angels» who are taking the family out of the front-line village today — Andrii Drumov and Rustam Lukomskyi. The latter is one of the founders of the «White Angel» unit, which has already saved thousands of adults' and children’s lives.
On the way, Andrii Drumov explains: now both Vuhledar and Novoukrainka are cities where shelling is more common than silence. The nearest settlements to them are Velyka Novosilka (where, fortunately, there are no children), Vuhledar (families with children still remain there), and Bohoiavlenka, where we are going. Six children remained there before our arrival. However, the danger for families is not only shelling but also bad weather — because even if they wish, it will be extremely difficult to reach those families in poor weather conditions.
«If we can still get to these three children during shelling or bad weather (when the car gets stuck in the mud), then it will be extremely difficult to get to the other three, almost impossible — because there is actually no road,» Andrii Drumov explains.
«What will happen if you are killed, and the child is wounded? No one will know about it.» The price of refusing rescue is high
At that time, on the day of the evacuation, no one was forcibly evacuated from the Vughedar community, as it did not meet the criteria necessary for such an evacuation. But the officers admit that they have taken people away before because they know how the front line changes in minutes.
«Our guys (law enforcement officers — ed.) persuaded families with children to leave. Sometimes they asked, sometimes they tried to influence emotionally, and sometimes they tried to use preventive methods. They warned, and persuaded, each time they tried to find new ways to get people to leave. And so quite a number of families managed to be persuaded. It is difficult to call it manipulation, but we always asked: what will happen if you or the child are wounded? What if at this moment there will be no way to come and pick you up, or at all no one will know what happened to your family?» — the policeman explains.
At the same time, they say: these manipulations, conversations and warnings worked solely thanks to the enormous willpower and experience of law enforcement officers. The main problem was the fact that hundreds of people still remained in long-dangerous villages and cities, knowingly or unknowingly exposing themselves to danger. And despite the desire of the police to save human lives, they did not have a legal basis that would give the right to forced evacuation. It hurts the most for the children, who even asked to take them out of the basements, but their parents stubbornly said no.
«All these attempts to take people in advance, somehow persuade them — we did it at our own peril and risk. Because we understood that sooner or later the shell will hit, and kill or maim someone. And this is worse than the risks for me or the boys, who constantly persuaded families with children to leave for a safe place,» Andrii Drumov says.
«The girl held my hand, cried, and asked: «Are you sure you will take us out of here? Will you come tomorrow? Do you promise?»
Another stumbling block on the way to evacuation was Russian propaganda, which made people almost faint as soon as they saw law enforcement officers. Occupier news claims: the police will take the children from their parents, separate them, they will never meet again, and what will happen to the children is unknown. And the trouble is: people who read the Russian news really believed it.
«I remember we took one girl out. She was crying. She covered herself with a hood, was afraid to look into eyes, because the propaganda of the Russians forced people to believe that we were taking children away from their parents. I stopped by Vuhledar and, I remember, there was a large family there, which we took away. One girl was so scared — and not only her! They were afraid of me, the boys, precisely of the police. I remember, then I went to one family, to the second, to the third. And when I said that I would take them out, the kids immediately started crying. I also told them then: „Don't be afraid, you will be with your parents, it’s not scary“, but they said no — they were told „somewhere in the news“ that children will be taken from their families, taken away from their parents. That is, in the news, the propagandists promoted such a „warning“ that when the police arrived, it would immediately take away the children. I thought at the time that maybe it was some kind of children’s fable that scared a gullible child. But I drove further to the families — and there it was the same! The second, third, and fourth family with children… They were all afraid that they would be separated from their parents. The children were crying loudly. And the parents tried not to pretend that something was wrong, but only with us they more confidently began to tell that they would go too, that the kids would be with them. This propaganda has a strong effect on people. At that time Vuhledar was very impressed by such news,» Andrii Drumov recalls.
Police officers note: people read the news on the Internet — that is, however, available only on the top floors of apartment buildings, which are very dangerous. But even this kind of access is enough to spread propaganda news.
«People get up, download Russian news, come back, and tell everyone what they read. And they don’t read ours, the news of the Ukrainian mass media, or official sources. Only Russian. If you take the phone of an average citizen, there will be no hammer and sickle, USSR, „Russia Today“, Skabieieva (Russian propagandist — ed.), etc. But they are there, in the frontline areas, people read news only from such sources. And if you watch their TV, read their news for a month, that will be enough to start thinking the way orcs should. This is where children’s fears that they will be taken away from mom and dad appear,» the «angels» emphasize.
At the same time, the policeman notes that there is still a significant percentage of people who wait for Russia in villages and cities. Who are ready to wait for a rocket to hit their house, so that the Russians would then take them to «safe and successful Donetsk.» (city, occupied by Russia from 2014 — ed.)
«Vuhledar, Bohoiavlenka, Maksymivka — people there either communicate with each other or listen to Russian propaganda. And they share the same propaganda with each other in conversations. And there we often hear the saying «There are many heads in a crowd, but few brains.» And here’s an example: when someone there alone, the so-called «leader», says that everything is bad, there is nowhere to live, etc., then the whole crowd thinks so. And it is very difficult to convince them.
In Vuhledar, we eventually evacuated one large family after very long persuasions. And I remember how a girl, one of the children, took my hand and asked if we would definitely take her out, she was crying. She cried and asked: «Are you sure you will take us out of here? Will you come tomorrow? Do you promise?». So when I asked her mother about the reason for staying in Vuhledar (despite the child’s tears and requests), she told me that wanted to leave for Donetsk. She was sure that it would be better there because she had some relatives in the city a year ago who let her live there. And she does not want to go to Ukraine, because she thinks that the conditions will be worse. But in Donetsk, there is no water, no medical care, and no normal food either. And anyway, for her, the reason for thinking «it's better there» was that «someone I know will be next to me because they told me that it’s normal there,» Andrii Drumov tells when the «angels» evacuation car is already approaching to the front-line village. This should not be confused with anything — there are shell holes in the middle of the road.
«Oh, those eyes…»
On both sides of the road we are driving on, there are burnt houses, cars, and fences. The ground was burnt — the occupying «phosphorus» was falling here, and the debris was burning. At this time, shells are already «arriving» outside the car window — when it is opened, despite the noise of the road, explosions are heard. The main task of the «angels» now is to drive along the solid road to the farm, where three children and their parents are waiting for evacuation. The whole family spent a year on the khutir (a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village — ed.), almost never going anywhere — surviving thanks to humanitarian aid, own vegetable garden, and a shop that worked here — until the moment when it was «denazified» by an enemy shell. Therefore, now it is a wasteland — no people, no surviving houses, no silence. All of the above is hindered by constant shelling from everything that is in the Russian arsenal.
When we arrive at the family’s yard, they are already waiting for us. The first thing the police pay attention to is the youngest child, five-year-old Nikita.
«Those eyes… Oh. Do you understand what we are here for?» — the law enforcement officers say, getting out of the armored car.
And Nikita’s eyes are black, deep. Allegedly frightened, because he does not understand what is happening, but at the same time, they are curious: he is interested in the big car that came to pick up his brother and sister and mom and dad. Big, tall men in uniforms and bulletproof vests are frightening, but the front seat is beckoning — with a large glass through which you can see the road, the playground … and mutilated houses. The boy squeezes his toy and pretends that it is his armor. That’s why he holds on to her very tightly. The «angels», noticing this, laugh — and put the adults, Nikita’s brother and sister, the boy himself, and finally — two bags with things for five in the car. Everything that remained from the life that was started a second time.
However, Nikita is not too enthusiastic about sitting on his mother’s lap. In front are high seats, through which he can see only a part of the road. Andrii Drumov laughs and takes the child in his arms — he immediately hugs the big «uncle». This causes laughter from everyone — from nervous parents who have packed their lives into two bags, to police officers who understand how difficult it is for them. At the offer to ride in the front seat, on the lap of the «angel», Nikita slowly but confidently nods — and this is probably his most confident movement in a few minutes of our acquaintance. Perhaps a loyal toy friend adds courage.
«I'm staying here, but they should go. I’ll look after the house…»
As soon as we all get into the car, an elderly neighbor, who is seeing the family off, christens the car. She says: «Let God be with you» and barely smiles at the corners of her wet eyes. She is here alone, these neighbors were among the closest people. Now the woman will remain alone — both in her house and on the khutir; she will look after the property of Natalia’s family.
«Maybe you’re with us? Or tell the boys when you’re ready to go, they’ll pick you up. It’s safe there, really. And quietly. The conditions are also good,» I say, hearing how another shell «landed» very close by.
«Oh no. I’m staying here. I am all by myself, used to going to Natasha, to the children… Now I will look after their household. And they should go,» she says confidently.
I smile halfheartedly and hug her. A little woman, shorter than me — with my 160 centimeters, she seems very small. It is unspeakably sad that she is left alone. But what is even more depressing is that she does not go. She can’t or doesn’t want to, but she doesn’t go…
In three minutes we are all in the car: me, the «angels», a local officer, Natalia with her husband and their three children. We leave, the whole car «swings» on the off-road, and just as we are leaving, the smoke starts coming from somewhere nearby. The policemen say: «Something „landed“. Something is burning.» At the same time, the sound of the road and conversations in the car completely cover the sound of explosions. Although the «angels» add: if you open a window or go outside from an armored car, it will be loud, because «everything is flying» around.
«I prayed to God, but I guess he didn’t hear…»
It is impossible to drive leisurely through a rather large section of the road — it is a target of fire. As a reminder of this, cars and houses burned to the ground. In some places, wreaths can be seen on both sides of the road, another reminder of how civilians gave their lives simply because they lived in the way of the occupiers. The road you have to drive on is also not very reliable — by the same efforts of the Russians, who bomb the roads. The evacuation car «swings» from one side to the other, but both the children and Natalia and her husband hold on to the seats and keep looking at the windshield — with such a look as if saying goodbye to the place that was their home. Already the second house that the Russians destroyed again.
«We were running away from the war, but it caught up with us. At first, we lived in Mariinka, but left in 2015 — we lost everything. And then came here. And here we go again…» Natalia says quietly.
She and her children were already on the run from the so-called «liberators». She asked God that she would no longer have to go, run away, and save herself under shelling. Seems he did not hear — so now she is forced to travel half a thousand kilometers to save the lives of her children. Already there, a few regions from Donetsk oblast, they will be able to live: communicate with their peers again, study in schools, and not expect mines, rockets, or phosphorous attacks.
«Nikita will only go to first grade this year, he will be six in the summer, and he would not be able to study in the village — there is no Internet, no communication. Dasha and I tried to learn lessons — the teachers sent them, and we did it ourselves. They did not study online, because there is no Internet in the village since September 30. And now the children will go to school, they will play with the other kids. Because there was no one there — only us and our elderly neighbors,» Natalia says.
The family that was taken away by the «White Angels» is sent to the Cherkasy oblast — there they will find comfortable living conditions for Natalia, her husband, and three children. The woman herself admits: she has no idea what and how it will happen, but she can no longer sit on the khutir — if the cluster shells have already started flying towards her, then the occupiers will not let them live anymore.
Bohoiavlenka is full of ruins — in their places there used to be shops and residential buildings, and even transport — public buses, private buses, and cars. Instead, now there are ruins and only fire-scorched metal. In the fields, there are holes at least a meter deep. There are also «arrivals»: mines, barreled artillery, phosphorus, gas, and rockets… As the policemen say: «Everything is here.» Life here, as well as in hundreds of front-line towns and villages, has stopped — and it is not known how and when it will resume. Thanks to the same «liberators» from whom hundreds of thousands of people are running away both a year ago and today. But some people, in spite of everything, stay — like that old lady, who now remains tens of kilometers away alone…
«Sometimes they say: „I'll look after your house“, and then we come and record injuries that are incompatible with life»
Noticing my look at Natalia’s neighbor, even as we were leaving, Rustam Lukomskyi nods: it’s sad. But this is real life and the choices that people make. Although this choice is wrong for us, it was not easy to make it. But it is even more difficult to decide to go away, leaving all your life in Bohoiavlenka.
«Here, people are under fire until the last. Sometimes we come for an evacuation, and all the family members go, except for the old mother. They are ready to leave, and she does not want to go anywhere: «I will look after the house for you.» And she looks, but until the wound she receives. When we arrived, we saw that the injuries were incompatible with life. Shrapnel wounds, a hole in the back the size of a fist — a hole from shrapnel, torn off parts of the body… The person is gone. And this, unfortunately, is not a theoretical situation, but one that actually happened.
And I also remember how we had to evacuate a woman whose house was badly damaged after the Russian shelling. And so we arrived, the windows in the house were broken, and no one was there. The yard is empty, we walked around the neighborhood — she is not there. And then we’ll find out that she already lives on the other side of the village. She was given a house there," the «angel» explains with an ironic smile, although it is obvious that he is not at all amused by these cases.
People who are currently being evacuated by the «White Angels» are being sent outside Donetsk oblast to safer regions. First, they are brought to the «Centers of Invincibility», where they choose which city they want to evacuate to. Even at this stage, volunteers, caring people, and military administrations help.
«If people need to be taken to the evacuation train to Pokrovsk — we are looking for transport, caring people help us. There are many of them. And now almost everyone from Vuhledar and the community is taken to Kyiv or Kyiv oblast. The conditions there are excellent: hotel apartments, hot water, electricity, and gas. Everything that has been missing for a year in some cities in Donetsk oblast, especially those near the front. And the fact that we tell people where they will live, and under what conditions, also has a strong influence on them and their desire to leave. But who will tell them this? They have propaganda in the news, which has the opposite effect and definitely does not encourage people to go to a safe city,» Andrii Drumov emphasizes.
When we bring Natalia’s family to the «Center of Invincibility», volunteers are already waiting for her. In Smila, Cherkasy oblast, where she is going, they also know that the family will come — they have a house and all the necessary packages with humanitarian aid: food, hygiene products, medicines, clean clothes, and towels. Everything necessary to be able to rest at least a little and feel safe.
Such conditions are everywhere where police «angels» send people. They ask and clarify — because they know the price of life, which people leave behind. They passed the path of loss on their own bodies and evacuation «wheels», and now every day they do everything possible to save people.
Finally, when we say goodbye to the «White Angels», I give everyone a big hug. Words are too difficult to express my gratitude and admiration for who they are and what they do. Yes, they have already heard too many words, so perhaps the best thanks for them will be the saved lives of hundreds of children and adults, to whom they gave another chance.
Author: Alina Yevych
Article in Ukrainian available by the link: «Дівчинка тримала мене за руку, плакала й питала: „А ви нас точно заберете?“: особливості евакуації дітей на Донеччині»