For majority of my compatriots from the Donbas – the Victory Day was one of the most important holidays. For me this day became special last year – on May 8 and 9 my life was turned upside down: “DNR’s” fighters broke into our house, shot a few dozens of bullets, beat my parents, but didn’t shoot us or send to the basement of captured SCU’s building…

Local Moscow’s henchmen, inspired by propaganda of Russian media hold typical penal operation against Ukrainian activists. A day before same people in balaclavas killed our acquaintance from the village next to ours, he was a decent farmer – they killed him for disrespect for the “DNR” and unwillingness to support a war here. May his memory live forever, just as hundreds’ of others, who suffered from armed half-wits, whose minds were infected by hatred and violence.

Fighters’ patrol, acting according to tipping-off from “well-wishers”, tried to knock out any thoughts about the Donbas belonging to Ukraine. We were heaped with shouts, threats and ridiculous standard accusations from people, who suddenly felt themselves lords of people’s fates.

I still remember the fear of a pointed gun at me and my family… and flashes inside my head: I grudged losing my life for nothing… But combination of circumstances and little God’s help saved my family from death. Even dogs survived with not serious perforating wounds. It was a miracle, which saved our neighbor from the burst of submachine-gun fire, when she rushed outside the house heard cries for help. To our amazement all three bullets haven’t hit her. And the car chase of the second fighter’s carriage, which pursued our friend, who was going to greet us with “the 9^th of May”… It seems that the fear of death saved him when it was obvious that the slightest mistake would kill him. Fighters didn’t run him down. He survived.

“Russian world” advocates left behind broken windows, crashed equipment, beatings, slight wounds and fear…

The next day after the attack, the holiday – 9^th of May, we left Donbas with volunteers’ help and came to Kharkiv. Those were terrifying hours of unknown future expectations.

Later parents dared to come back home, by roads of Kharkiv region, decorated with yellow-blue flags, escorted by Ukrainian military equipment, to the grey Donetsk region. They were going to the place, where people were tortured and killed for any demonstration of Ukraine.

In evenings, when it was possible, we called each other (mobile service was not stable). Parents were afraid of new reprisals from drunk “Novorossiya” defenders.

Mom and Dad haven’t gone outside the house often, few weeks later neighbors met them and couldn’t hide astonishment to see my parents alive.

I remember how hard it was for my parents to tell about life in the village. People were living in silence, at night it was like “dead”: when light went out windows – the village plunged into silence and gloom till the dawn.

Fortunately, it turned out well and the region was liberated from the rule of non-existent “republic” by the Ukrainian army. But even when the front line moved 20 kilometers away the village, it was hard to find someone outside after a sunset. Only several weeks later people started to leave the lights on at night.

I left home on the Great Victory Day and came back only 6 months later. I became a volunteer and have changed myself for first months of war, understood many new things, changed my worldview, started learning how to help people…

I didn’t understand the 9^th of May before, called it the Tribulation Day of all people, who had died in that war, but not the Victory Day. Maybe it was symbolic, that the fate saved us that day, left us safe and alive, and encouraged to something new, to help. To help people who may not be satisfied or grateful. But maybe this activity will be able to arouse something bright and real in me and in them. Because life is given to us not only for usual everyday things, but it is given as an opportunity to see real essential light inside of everyone, feel real joy of life. It is strange, but that is war which helps to realize it, but in its hurtful and violent way.

Milan Zaitsev, volunteer of the “Vostok-SOS” initiative for the Informator.lg.ua