While he and others were trying to reach.
Their main position in Avdiivka.
Six people were left.
Behind at Zenith.
Five were wounded and couldn’t walk.
Including a paramedic.
A sniper.
And an anti-tank fighter.
While he and others were trying to reach.
Their main position in Avdiivka.
Six people were left.
Behind at Zenith.
One was not wounded.
But decided to stay with his comrades.
He believed he would be taken.
As a prisoner of war.
On 17 February.
‘Elves’ commander-in-chief ordered.
A full withdrawal from Avdiivka.
In order to save soldiers’ lives.
When the order finally came.
It was too late.
And they were.
Completely surrounded.
The paramedic, the sniper.
And the anti-tank fighter.
Have been identified by relatives.
As the dead soldiers in a video.
For weeks, the fighters at the base.
Named “Zenith” had been waging.
An increasingly desperate battle.
To hold their position.
They had repeatedly asked.
Their commanders to pull them out.
Fearing a full encirclement was imminent.
But their requests were denied.
They had repeatedly asked.
Their commanders to pull them out.
Fearing a full encirclement was imminent.
But they were told to wait.
On 13 February.
The defenders of Zenith were finally.
Ordered to withdraw.
To another position in Avdiivka.
But by then it was too late.
When the order to leave came.
The paramedic messaged.
His brother-in-law.
“We were told to retreat.
And fight our way back.
But behind us are ‘orcs’.
I don’t know what to do.”
The paramedic and.
Nine other men were tasked.
With attacking ‘orcs’ positions and.
Opening up a safe passage for the others.
They had repeatedly asked.
Their commanders to pull them out.
Fearing a full encirclement was imminent.
But their requests were denied.
They had repeatedly asked.
Their commanders to pull them out.
Fearing a full encirclement was imminent.
But they were told to wait.
“They were the bravest ones.”
Says a soldier.
From the 110th brigade.
Who was in Zenith.
But the group was confronted.
By ‘orcs’ artillery.
And forced to turn back.
Only three managed to return to base.
The paramedic was among them.
But he was badly injured.
And collapsed in a field.
Before reaching the base.
Hours later.
His comrades.
From the Zenith base.
Tried to rescue him.
That soldier and three others.
Put him on a stretcher.
And started carrying him out.
Under relentless ‘orcs’ mortar fire.
One of the shells landed nearby.
The soldier, wounded, was forced.
To return to the base.
The sniper came out to replace him.
The soldier says the group was then.
Attacked by two kamikaze drones.
“Instead of one wounded.
We got five more.”
They had repeatedly asked.
Their commanders to pull them out.
Fearing a full encirclement was imminent.
But their requests were denied.
They had repeatedly asked.
Their commanders to pull them out.
Fearing a full encirclement was imminent.
But they were told to wait.
The group eventually.
Made it back to Zenith.
They were promised evacuation.
By their superiors.
But it never arrived.
Later, the paramedic called his commander.
To learn about evacuation.
The voice on the radio told him.
To get out of Zenith.
On their own.
As sending a rescue team.
Was too risky.
“What about the wounded?”
“Leave them behind.”
Everyone heard this conversation.
On radio and froze.
Those who could walk.
Including that soldier.
Left the base at night.
Without their wounded brothers-in-arms.
“Under relentless fire.
Carrying the wounded.
In the darkness.
Was not possible.”
“The enemy opened fire.
With mortars, tanks, artillery.
Night kamikaze drones.
All at once.”
They retreated in small groups.
A group walking behind him.
Was hit by an artillery shell.
None of them survived.
While he and others were trying to reach.
Their main position in Avdiivka.
Six people were left.
Behind at Zenith.
Five were wounded and couldn’t walk.
Including a paramedic.
A sniper.
And an anti-tank fighter.
While he and others were trying to reach.
Their main position in Avdiivka.
Six people were left.
Behind at Zenith.
One was not wounded.
But decided to stay with his comrades.
He believed he would be taken.
As a prisoner of war.
The 110th brigade posted.
A message saying that because of.
The full encirclement of Zenith.
Ukraine had “contacted organisations.”
“That hold talks on prisoner exchanges”.
To assist their soldiers.
The ‘orcs’ side reportedly agreed to evacuate.
The ‘elves’ wounded and later exchange them.
This message was passed on.
To the paramedic and others at Zenith.
A few hours before.
‘Orcs’ arrived.
They were instructed.
Not to show.
Any resistance.
And save their lives.
But the paramedic told his brother-in-law.
On the phone that.
He didn’t believe that ‘orcs’ would.
“Keep the wounded alive”.
Around 11:15.
On 15 February.
She received a message.
From her son, the sniper.
“The ‘orcs’ know that.
We are here alone.”
She hasn’t heard.
From him since.
Around 11:15.
On 15 February.
The paramedic video-called.
His brother-in-law.
In the middle of the conversation.
An ‘orc’ soldier entered the building.
“Put the gun away.”
A voice could be heard.
“Are they there?”
His brother-in-law asked him.
“Yes,” he quietly replied.
At this point.
His brother-in-law stopped.
Recording video.
But the call continued.
For a couple of minutes longer.
“I saw a bearded man.”
His brother-in-law recalls.
“I asked him.
To give the man the phone.”
“I wanted to ask them.
Not to kill them.
But I heard the voice say:
‘Switch off the phone’.”
The paramedic’s relatives were sure that.
He and other soldiers had been taken prisoner.
“They didn’t resist.”
Says his sister.
Around 11:15.
On 15 February.
She received a message.
From her son, the sniper.
“The ‘orcs’ know that.
We are here alone.”
She hasn’t heard.
From him since.
Around 11:15.
On 15 February.
The paramedic video-called.
His brother-in-law.
In the middle of the conversation.
An ‘orc’ soldier entered the building.
“Put the gun away.”
A voice could be heard.
On 17 February.
‘Elves’ commander-in-chief ordered.
A full withdrawal from Avdiivka.
In order to save soldiers’ lives.
But it was too late.
For many soldiers.
Including the six.
Who surrendered.
The following day.
A video appearing to show their bodies.
Was posted by ‘orcs’ sources.
To social media.
“They were killed by the ‘orcs’.”
Says the sniper ‘s mother.
“But our military leadership.
Allowed it to happen.”
While he and others were trying to reach.
Their main position in Avdiivka.
Six people were left.
Behind at Zenith.
Five were wounded and couldn’t walk.
Including a paramedic.
A sniper.
And an anti-tank fighter.
While he and others were trying to reach.
Their main position in Avdiivka.
Six people were left.
Behind at Zenith.
One was not wounded.
But decided to stay with his comrades.
He believed he would be taken.
As a prisoner of war.
*Because I read “Avdiivka: Russia accused of executing prisoners of war after Ukraine withdraws” by Abdujalil Abdurasulov on 20 Feb 2024, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem as a story of Ivan, Andriy, Georgiy, and Viktor from the 110th brigade.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Avdiivka: Russia accused of executing prisoners of war after Ukraine withdraws – BBC News
**My friend shows you this poem on the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Please join them!
