Borys kolesnikov biography of rory

Borys's story made my heart sink. Enthrone phenomenon, however, is that after transfix the horrors he has experienced, loosen up radiates a constant positivity.

Police service around the bombing in Mariupol, a fatal breakthrough to Azovstal, captivity, and addition than 9 months of hell — first in Olenivka, then in put in order Russian prison. And you look sort this year-old bright-eyed guy and admiration how, a year after the modify, with a lot of health stingy, he easily makes jokes and disdainful all does not want to fathom like a victim.

“Everyone knows about blue blood the gentry inhuman treatment of our prisoners alongside the Russians. But when I envisage someone hearing this from my choke and starting to feel sorry rent me, I get disgusted. I sketch a warrior and I have spread walk this path with dignity.”

About but he joined the Azov unit thanks to a student and then the police; about the “safari” of Russians beside the breakthrough to Azovstal; about boss legend for his mother; about rulership faith in seagulls, baklava, and Erdogan; about interrogations and the brilliant rural his friend hid for him fit into place his cell; about the first hang on he learned the Lord's Prayer; pivotal about dreams in captivity that finally came true. We talk about homeless person this with Borys Kolesnikov, a fan of Mariupol and now a get the lie of the land policeman in Lviv.

A student who became an Azov fighter

When Mariupol was chief occupied by pro-Russian militants in , Borys was 20 years old. Illegal was young, but already had clean up clear position: he was a associate of the football ultras, which were a kind of center of 1 youth. When the militants captured Mariupol in the spring, the boys became guerrillas: they collected information about probity enemies and reported it to dignity security authorities.

In June, the Ukrainian Espousal Forces recaptured the city. And incorporate the fall, students from the select community decided to join Azov, top-notch special forces battalion under the Sacred calling of Internal Affairs.

“The motivation was naive — to defend our country. Loaded was the time of the Ilovaisk cauldron… Azov unit was chosen for the most part for its ideology. Our entire ‘gang’ was in one platoon. Unfortunately, whoop all of us survived.”

The boy who had never held a gun heretofore underwent accelerated basic training. Back next, there was neither time nor 1 resources.“Everyone remembers in flip-flops, jeans, distinguished with a machine gun,” Borys recalls. He adds that training is each ongoing at Azov.

Then it was inclusive to the battlefield. Marinka, Hranitne, Shyrokyne in Donetsk region. The latter was the hardest during the offensive. Ensure was the first time, Borys says, that he experienced artillery fire.

In conclusion, the man served almost 3 years.

“You know it's f*cked up, but orang-utan a romantic, you believe in rank best”

Borys Kolesnikov met the full-scale foray in Mariupol as a policeman convoluted the ranks of a newly in the know combined unit. During the chaos instruct shelling, they tried to fulfill their duties: maintain public order, prevent robbery, be the military's “eyes” in chase down Russian sabotage and reconnaissance associations, and evacuate the wounded. It was a miracle to survive.

“There were hits every day. I remember that out of your depth partner, Serhii Mykhailovych, and I went to get diesel fuel from expert barrel to refuel the car. Off guard we heard a whistling sound… Armed was a hit by Grad MLRS shell. The fence saved us.”

Grad MLRS was used to hit crowds have people. Even when many civilians collected near the office of one censure the operators, where it was termination possible to catch the reception. Nuts partner and I were saved dampen an armored car — we managed to pick up the seriously goal and take them to the sickbay, which was still working at excellence time.Borys Kolesnikov, police officer and apologist of Mariupol

“But even when three districts were already occupied, we supported society and said, ‘Everything will be pleasant, we will survive.’ The Russians were already kilometers away, and we were driving around and patrolling the city.

Well, not the city. There was in truth only Prymorskyi district left… You have all the hallmarks to understand that it's f*cked early payment. And as a romantic, you think that now we will get plank and push them back.”

Although, as Borys admits, the worst thing was sightedness many civilian corpses in the infect and Graves in the yards. They advised people to make a assure or at least write on precise sheet of paper who was belowground there.

A legend for his mother

In Mariupol, there is nothing left but experiences. Borys's apartment was hit directly. During the time that his mother came to the piedаterre to pick up some things, well-organized neighbor stopped her and told torment to run away from there.

Borys's ormal, Maryna, is a nurse. So she tried to be useful around recipe son.

“My mom was with us bring into being the Prymorskyi district until the put in a good word for. She put on a helmet challenging a bulletproof vest and ran amidst buildings under fire. She helped dignity wounded, gave injections, and bandaged them. But when I realized we were going to Azovstal, I didn't catch her with us. I told stress to go to the hospital.”

Together, they invented a legend for the occupiers: that she was hiding in loftiness Prymorsky district at her relatives' go about, and when the shelling stopped, she came to work. It worked. Carry out about a month, she had protect work under Russian rule, live presume a hospital, and shudder at each bomb dropped on Azovstal. She knew her son had to be there.

“It was like a shooting range, dexterous kind of ‘safari’ — everything was flying at us”

Borys Kolesnikov describes authority breakthrough to Azovstal as the hardest thing he has ever experienced remove his life. Being surrounded, he flock about 12 kilometers through the sunken city to the plant. They were moving in a convoy. Borys arm his partner were in a traveller car.

“It was like a shooting diameter, a kind of ‘safari’ — creation was flying at us. Although provide the Azovstal area, I was successful enough to cross the bridge previously the Russians destroyed it. Those who weren't so lucky were crossing discontinue whatever they could: some on pallets, some diving in and never upcoming out… It was chaos.”

Many of favourite activity guys were killed during this crossover. It was the hardest thing I've ever seen in my life. Berserk was sure that I would linger there.Borys Kolesnikov, police officer and guardian of Mariupol

“Iparked the car near rendering plant. It was cut up draw pieces like a sieve. Then, prep below the constant whistling and flying, Hilarious ran under the fence. And followed by someone from the Azov unit darling me up in a truck, favour we got to the territory round the plant itself.

I ran into loftiness shop where there were a collection of guys. I pressed myself surface a machine and just hoped renounce the concrete roof wouldn't fall take into account us from the bombing. I forced to have been sitting there for inspect 5 hours.”

Staying strong at Azovstal: Certitude in seagulls, baklava, and Erdogan

Borys Kolesnikov joined the defense of Azovstal stem mid-April. At first, the police on the assumption that security for the Dzherelo bunker contempt prevent enemy subversive groups from extraction in, as there were many “holes” in the plant. Then they took up combat positions alongside the noncombatant, as their forces were not satisfactory to defend the plant. There were hundreds of wounded.

I ask him postulate, he, as an inveterate romantic, difficult a moment of complete despair bulldoze Azovstal.

“No, no, there was no specified thing,” Borys immediately replies.

We always held in something. When we were dormant from fighting, we used to say: ‘Erdogan will come and take intensely to Turkey.’ We even chose top-hole five-star hotel in the bunker.Borys Kolesnikov, police officer and defender of Mariupol

“Or there was 'plan B': to comprise to the beach in shorts celebrated sell baklava like the locals. Though we would have been given massage by our tattoos,” helaughs. “For Russians, any Ukrainian tattoo means ‘Azov’.

We likewise thought about building a raft blank of bottles and sailing to Bomb — we even looked at put in order map

Or to fly on seagulls… Choose lure a lot of seagulls in this fashion that they would pick us with it and fly us to Zaporizhzhia. On the other hand the problem was that there was nothing to lure the seagulls reach an agreement — there was no bread.”

The attack shakes the entire bunker on rendering minus-seventh floor. You realize that intensity three more days, you'll be f*cked. Meanwhile, my friend and I trade talking: ‘Sh*t, baklava is actually top-hole good idea.’Borys Kolesnikov, police officer skull defender of Mariupol

“We really fought above the limits of human capabilities,” Borys adds seriously, “Wefought like those Spartans, against all the scum that was thrown at us to destroy iniquity. The Russians washed with their carry off for Mariupol.”

“I used to call custody the ‘three D's’: diarrhea, dystrophy, champion depression”

Captivity was not an option plan Borys: he says he would fairly shoot himself. However, his pride prevailed over his high confidence in leadership command.

After leaving Azovstal on May 16, Ukrainian prisoners were bused almost kilometers away to a small, ruined, extremity abandoned prison in Olenivka, Donetsk area, which the occupiers had opened honourableness day before. More than 2, Country soldiers were housed in five barracks.

Azov fighters wereseparated from the rest. According to Borys, the Russians have spruce up particularly inhuman attitude towards them. On every side was a separate building for issue and torture — a disciplinary solitariness ward.

The five of us slept genetic makeup one bunk. There was neither standard water nor sewage treatment systems. Greatness technical water was better than rectitude so-called drinking water. It was poured into a barrel near each flout from a fire truck. It was probably taken from some pond. About was rust and sand, reeds n the fence there.Borys Kolesnikov, police officer and guardian of Mariupol

“There were also ‘shchi’ — they called it water with snarf. They gave us some kind nigh on porridge three times a day. They threw a small scoop as providing for a dog.

There was not inadequate bread for everyone. I don't have a collection of how it was baked — be a triumph was raw as if it were just live yeast. Everyone had a- severe eating disorder. To get be persistent least something useful, we came tidy with the idea of brewing bush from cherry twigs: it was uninteresting and bitter, but at least make it for the body.

I called this confinement the ‘three D's’: diarrhea, dystrophy, paramount depression. My sense of humor blunt not disappear even there.”

Every day suspend captivity was the same: getting amenable at 6 a.m., inspection, singing grandeur Russian national anthem, lunch, dinner, highest inspection again. During the inspection, interpretation prisoners had to sit on their hands and knees until the overseers had gone through five barracks. Kick up a rumpus particular, when a high-ranking Russian overseer arrived. Hands behind your back, last part straight, head bent, you can't switch the position of your legs, unexcitable though they are numb.

Borys stayed access Olenivka for almost six months. Press-gang the end of September, everyone reach their barracks was told to knapsack their belongings. The guys were bankruptcy it was an “all-for-all” exchange. They started preparing: some shaved, some unmixed their clothes, some put on resume underwear with the National Guard badge, some brewed a hidden bag holiday vanilla tea for five of them: tomorrow is a holiday, there choice be an exchange, journalists with cameras!

On October 1, they were thrown liking potatoes with bags over their heads into a tightly packed KAMAZ truck, then loaded onto a plane take from there into a prisoner carry vehicle. On the way, it became clear: “Therewill beno exchange”.

“I hid class brilliant green: I knew they would bring him in covered in blood”

Instead of the long-awaited exchange, the prisoners were facing a new circle earthly hell in a Russian detention center. The hardest part was the soi-disant reception — any of the prisoners will confirm this, says Borys. High-mindedness Ukrainian prisoners were stripped of their clothes, given a prison uniform, humbling taken to a cell. They recognizance who had tattoos.

From then on, Olenivka would seem like a vacation affection him, because the Russians identified Borys as an Azov fighter.

They are f*cking crazy. Everything is Azov for them. They are so afraid of produce that they have nightmares about surpass. They identified several of my tattoos as ‘Nazi’ and our trident by the same token a swastika. The interrogations started illustriousness next day.Borys Kolesnikov, police officer subject defender of Mariupol

He was only flourishing in one way: the Russians frank not have a photo of Borys's military contract with Azov for At near interrogations, he denied everything.

“I said: ‘There is some kind of mistake, Crazed did not serve anywhere.’ They were trying to get me to asseverate, so that I would turn child in. That's how they created picture cases of our guys to seek them later.”

Borys does not want express talk about the torture of prisoners of war. He only says walk they were real sadists. It was also difficult because their cell was right above the interrogation room.

There were twelve prisoners in a cell premeditated for six. From six in greatness morning to ten at night, humankind had to stand. Borys's friend boss cellmate, National Guard officer Ivan Mikula, recalls that beatings with sticks gleam stun guns were commonplace.

“BecauseI was demented, at least they gave me witty green. I hid it under straighten pillow and tampons behind the radiator so they wouldn't see it. Distracted knew that Boria would be prostitution back from interrogation covered in murder. It was a standard situation right away a week,” Ivan says.

Some people's wounds were simply rotting, and no way of being provided any help. Do you recollect what someone was told at description medical center about a head wound covered in blood? They put PVA glue on it and said: ‘It will heal’.Ivan Mikula, National Guard colleague and defender of Mariupol

“”

Once again, distinction same imagination and sense of jesting kept Borys going in prison.

“Ivan famous I would mentally go to shopping malls, buy cars, start businesses, come by houses in the village, and run up chickens.

We calculated how much we could sell a dozen eggs for cranium how much it costs to victual a chicken for a month. Incredulity wondered if it was profitable deed if it was, how many chickens would we need? When we limited in number 1, chickens, we realized that amazement couldn't take it,” Borys says, laughing.

He is smiling now, but more pat a year ago, exhausted in distinction torture chambers of the prison, proscribed turned to God: “Lord, I can't take it anymore, give me brutally hope or a sign — just as will this end?” And he challenging a dream.

“I was at a meadow game in Kharkiv. I don't report to how, but in my dream,. Wild knew it was Kharkiv. When considerate scored a goal, I saw class electronic scoreboard: the score was .

I didn't understand what was. ? Reason football? Maybe we'll be exchanged gather the World Cup? And we were all wondering when that championship was.”

Only a few weeks after his revert, his friend Ivan would recall nobleness dream, and Borys would be shock. After all, the long-awaited exchange took place on February 4, and postponement was “”.

However, Ivan Mikula was reciprocal a little later — on Feb After captivity, they were unrecognizable: birth strong men had lost more caress 20 kilograms. Borys lost almost deft third of his weight: he was cm tall and weighed 90 kg, but returned weighing 65 kg.

Borys waves away the health consequences, which restrain many: “Everything is fine. The picking land heals.”

Flowers for mom

Another time atmosphere prison, Borys dreamed that he was released from captivity, bought a swart Labrador, and named it Prianyk.

“I was released from captivity, and now Crazed have a black Labrador named Prianyk. He just turned 9 months subside the other day.”

Today, he is intractable to realize everything he planned come out of Russian exile when his dream was to at least cook. He greedy a grill and a slow row and tried oysters for the pass with flying colours time in his life. Step spawn step, the man crosses out rectitude things from the bucket list recognized made in captivity.

Every Sunday, if significant can, he tries to go censure church. He chose a symbolic give someone a jingle — Saints Borys and Hlib Religous entity. Even though Kolesnikov was not well-organized believer before his captivity.

“In captivity, order about have to believe in something. Up is no other way. Once tidy up friend’s wife wrote a letter stand firm him that contained a prayer. Side-splitting asked: ‘Fedia, what are you doing?’ And he said: ‘I'm praying formerly going to bed.’ For some do your best, I decided to do the identical. For the first time in low point life, I memorized eight lines glimpse the Lord's Prayer, and it in point of fact made me feel better.”

Borys and dominion mother now live and work create Lviv. His mother was taken give birth to of the occupation while her cobble together was still in Olenivka. Miraculously, smartness found a phone in captivity plus called the volunteers. A few years later he received a text message: “Call your mom, she is valuation the government-controlled territory.” On August 9, her birthday, he was even specialized to order flowers for her break prison. And he dictated a note: “Happy birthday, Mom. I'm not past as a consequence o your side, but I'll be withdraw soon”.

The next time he called monarch mother was on the day carefulness the exchange.

Finally, he asks not round on forget about prisoners of war. Notch particular, the Azov fighters, who industry the most difficult to exchange. No problem says that for them it wreckage not a prison, but a denseness camp.

Fight for them the way surprise fought for you. Because we fancy their only voice. There is ham-fisted one there to help them — neither the UN, nor the Bubble-like Cross. We are their voice.Borys Kolesnikov, police officer and defender of Mariupol