During the war in Ukraine mere strangers have become brothers. But sometimes it separates blood brothers. When the invasion of Crimea started, 39-years old resident of Kharkiv Aleksey Martsynuk realized his place was to be on the front line. He enlisted as a volunteer to the “Donbas” battalion. At that time, his older brother had been living in Donetsk. Soon after that, Aleksey found out that at any moment he could die at the hands of his own flesh and blood who was fighting on the side of Novorossia and treated Ukrainians as “fascists”.
From the interview with Aleksey Martsynuk:
How did you learn that your brother supports the separatists with arms?
I’ve became aware of my brother’s choice last summer at the “Donbas” battalion’s training camp. Previously we chatted quite adequately over the phone and via social networks. But when I informed him about me being at the “Donbas” battalion, my brother sent me a photo of him standing in the hallway with a machine gun in his hands. That was the time when I realized he was a separatist.
What was Vladimir’s occupation before the war? And where’s his family now? Were you close with your brother before the war?
We used to have normal family relationship. I visited Donetsk a lot. We even spent last New Year there. Volodia had been working at a mine recently. His wife and daughter left Donetsk for central regions of Ukraine in the summer. We had only once managed to reach my niece via a cell phone, but her mom grabbed her phone and reassured us they were OK and hung up. She considers us “benderivtsi” and enemies. They moved back to Donetsk in September and I know nothing about how are they doing now.
What do you think, why did your brother join and support the DPR?
My brother is a regular hard working guy, but he has never had his own views and been so absolutely indifferent to everything. He has always tried to shift his responsibilities to someone else, a little bit reckless and careless. Generally he is a good person, but he easily falls under anyone’s influence. And then came along some people who gave him an assault rifle. They told him it was Novorossia now. My brother was happy with the separatists’ arrival for along with them he gained a kind of power, importance, and money for sure.
Were you making any attempts to contact and bring reason to your brother?
I’ve tried really hard! Once, while chatting on social networks he wrote: “You will not find any Russians here, only me and my friends. Anyone who tries to come here will be stabbed like a wild pig”. Along with those words he sent me a photo of a Ukrainian flag on the ground. I tried to convince him not to fight against Ukraine. I tried to evacuate him and his family from Donetsk. But he spun my words. He believes, that I’ll come and cut his family down. It is hard for me to even imagine the possibility of that, as I have held his daughter, my niece, in my arms. All in vain…
What is your brother’s attitude to your participation in the war on the Ukrainian side?
My brother calls me a punisher, who kills women and children, and destroys Donetsk. Once in an interview, he told journalists that he along with other insurgents fight fascism. That this is their land which was once defended by their grandparents at the cost of their lives. Now it is their turn. My brother also said that if he meets me on the battle field he will shoot me without any second thoughts.
What would you do if you meet your brother on the battle field?
I would immobilize him but most definitely would not kill him! At the same time, he will be a threat for my friends and they are like real brothers to me now. I would have opened fire on him but I have no intentions of killing him.
When was the last time you spoke to your brother?
My brother called me in January. It was easier to talk but he still refused to see things my way. He has become a victim of Russian propaganda that enroots into people’s mind the idea that Ukraine as a country doesn’t exist and eastern lands are suburbs of Russia. In return, I brought up historical facts, mentioned the date of the Moscow foundation and the name of its founder. But this drives him nuts, so I calmly hang up and that’s it.
It is hard to accept the loss of understanding from someone really close, isn’t it?
To my mind, I’ve lost my blood brother. I have no idea whether he is alive or not. But this war gave me another brother — Yaroslav Tsymbalyuk. His father is a well known neurosurgeon Vitaliy Tsymbalyuk (Editor’s note: Vitaliy Tsymbalyuk is a Ukrainian scientist and neurosurgeon, doctor of medical science, professor, member and vice-president of Medical Science Academy of Ukraine). He assisted me with my uniform and equipment. He bought me every item of it and it’s what I’m still using in this war. He has been assisting our troops since last summer. Together with other volunteers, he has collected nearly one million hryvnias and given the funds to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But this money somehow vanished. As a result, Vitaliy Ivanovych decided to assist the soldiers personally and by chance contacted me. It so happens that we had become like relatives. He became my god father in September and his wife’s mom became my god mother. I was baptized in Kiev.
Do you socialize often with your new brother and god father?
Yes, my wife and I have visited them several times in Kiev. Also we were at Yaroslav’s birthday party in January. He has become my second brother. We even have the same blood type. As for Vitaliy Ivanovych Tsymbalyuk, he turned out to be a countryman of my wife, both from Rivne Oblast. He willingly expressed his readiness to treat my soldiers free of charge.
Aleksey Martsinuk returned from the ATO zone in August after he had survived the battle of Ilovaisk, and at the same time, managed together with his battle brothers to evacuate wounded soldiers of the 51st brigade. After a four month break he again enlisted as a volunteer.
This time he was chosen to join the special operations department of the 73rd marine special assignments center in Ochakiv. Nowadays he trains soldiers of the intelligence-subversive group at a training base, who will be deployed for special assignments in the near future. He also was an instructor of the “Right Sector” and the Ministry of Internal Affairs special unit “Slobozhanschina” in the city of Kharkiv. He was going to Zaporizzhia to enlist in the special unit “Storm” of the National Guard, but changed his mind. “The most important thing is your command,” says Aleksey. “And I’m not that sure about the “Storm” as it is a part of the “Donbas” battalion. And I don’t have the best of memories about that battalion. So, I’ve decided to work with the people I train.”
Why have you decided to join ATO for the second time?
It’s obvious. So many friends of mine have died and I can’t just sit and wait! I can’t let some boys like my son fight instead of me! I’m better off fighting for both of us and he’s better off earning awards for our country. My son Alexander (19 years old) is a European champion in ballroom dancing and a World Championship silver medalist. He has quite a good chance together with his partner. So I defend not only my country but my family and the future of my son!
How do you assess the situation in eastern Ukraine?
Frankly, we could have ended all of this last September. We gained control over Donetsk several times and every time we got the command to withdraw. Nobody mentioned about this anywhere. Our commanders were just sending people to their death. It seems like somebody needs all of this for some reason. The situation with our check points is even worse. I am in special forces and conduct far more dangerous operations, I work with my soldiers, we understand each other and cover each other’s back. We go, we do our job and we have far better chances of survival than those people at the check points.
Do you think this war is profitable for someone?
I am 100% confident that it is a matter of big money. For example, [a founder of the “Donbas” Battalion] Semyon Semenchenko, who had to resign from a battalion commander position when he was elected to parliament. He continues to hold his grip on 150 newbies of the “Donbas” battalion that has already collapsed. When I served in “Donbas, I got my three months salary of 1,054 hryvnias just in August. But not every soldier got his salary back then, some didn’t. It happened because not all the soldiers had been entered in the payroll system yet. We didn’t get all volunteer’s aid [sent to the battalion]. Semenchenko received a lot of that aid through his charitable foundation. The money had to be shared equally among everyone in the battalion, but it’s unclear where it’s gone to. For example, in the training camp we were using rucksacks equipped with good med kits. We were assured to have the same on the front line. In the end we had nothing! Only volunteers supplied us with med kits that had only tourniquets, bandages, activated carbon and iodine.
What is your attitude towards the new wave of mobilization?
Many of the mobilized are not fighters. They are afraid to fight. They sometimes panic during combat; they don’t understand where they are. They are so afraid that sometimes they can shoot each other [by accident]. So, there is little use of them. More often they become the source of danger. I do not intend to criticize. Wherever possible I try to change the situation on my own. I think it makes more sense to form the battalions with volunteers. There are many professionals who are interested in getting a good job. Volunteers need to be trained well also. I spent a month in training in the National Guard. Specialists from four countries were teaching us how to use weapons and the basics of the military service. Now I share this knowledge with new soldiers. Many go to war with patriotism and they are ready for everything. But first and foremost, every commander must be wise and skillful enough to not allow a repeat of Ilovaisk)!
Where do you find the source of motivation to continue fighting?
I’ve seen so many things, that with all the patriotism, I will go to a battalion or squad in which I am absolutely confident in. First of all, in the commanders. They didn’t want me to leave when I was an instructor, for there are so few qualified instructors. But I have a family to feed. And there I got [paid] almost nothing. It’s not simple. I am ready to go to the end but only when everything is planned and done wisely. I do not need awards; the best award for me is to save as many lives of subordinates as possible. It’s the highest priority for me. I‘ve promised to come back, so I have to come back. Too many people are praying for me, and too many people are expecting me back.
Author: Olga Prigorova; photos by Olga Prigorova
Translated by Private