Patriotism — in the past; friendship — for ever. How Milove, which is on the Russian border, was going to vote. Part 2

Patriotism — in the past; friendship — for ever. How Milove, which is on the Russian border, was going to vote. Part 1

Valentina, a former teacher, a retired woman and a member of the choir today, was sure that the relations with residents of Chertkov would never be spoiled. To explain the pain experienced by the residents of the two villages, Ukrainian and Russian, separated by the border, the woman recalled a song which had not been sung since the beginning of the war:

Our river Donets separated two villages,
That zone is called not accessible,
Where there is a willow and a viburnum — there Ukraine is in blossom,
Where ... (she forgot the words), Russian live.

The singer of the choir was sure that the residents of Milove would vote for the “opposition”.

- We were brought up “on Russia”. Putin brought us up.
- What is the attitude to him here?
- People are silent, she lowered her voice. But deep in our souls we are for Putin. He is the cleverest. He is for peace in the whole world. But I must keep silence.

Valentina transferred her grandson from the Ukrainian school in Milove to the Russian one to Chertkov. Since that time he had not got satisfactory marks in history. Here history is a stumbling block.

- It's disgusting. I hate Ukrainian. I despise myself for being born in Ukraine. I hate with all my heart. The history is twisted!



Photo: Bill board near Milove district administration

Nadiya was born in Milove. She lived on her mom's pension and she got some money for taking care of her disabled sister. She was in rubber boots, dark jacket, with a package of sunflower seeds in her hand. She was nibbling the seeds while speaking:

- I am for LPR, independent, so to say, people's republic, the woman said.
- Did you vote at the referendum?
- Of course, I did. A lot of people did.

Nadiya thought there were no Russian troops in Luhansk; there were only volunteers. She said with tears in her eyes that she saw a volunteer from Poland on TV.

However, those who had seen modern Luhansk with their own eyes were more categorical. They said, “There is a proverb: don't be born happy, be born far from Russia”. – Oleksiy was from Luhansk. He was living in Milove, but went to Luhansk from time to time as his house was left there. He recommended, “Construct a fence and introduce visas”. He added that in Luhansk he had a jacket of the Ukrainian national football team and, when there were hockey matches, he supported Russia's rivals.

Patriotism which was in the past

Every morning residents of Milove go along Lenin Street to the border checkpoint or to the market place. There was also a polling station with a portrait of Lenin painted up. There were a dozen pensioners in front of it at 8 in the morning. Some people came before the opening; others did not set the clock to daylight saving.

We entered the polling station at eight sharp and heard the anthem of Ukraine. People were listening to it timidly and they were a bit surprise. The head of the commission switched off the radio, and the voting started.

- Girls, I would like everything to be fine. And without war.
- I voted for women. I respect women, an old man was saying while leaving the polling station. After 3 pm the station was almost empty as well as Milove streets.



Photo: At the polling station

Volodymyr Myrny, head of Milove district administration, had said in an interview several months ago that it would not be worth to hold the election here.

- Even now I think the process of “deseparatization” has not been completed here. Nobody has been punished. Nothing will happen until people understand that our capital is Kyiv, not Moscow. Then Kyiv will see us, he said.
 
- Who will see us? An old woman interferes into the conversation.

1127 locals voted in Milove, fewer than one third. People were complaining  that a lot of paper had been wasted. Some people offered to take the ballots, which were not used, home to burn them in the stove. While the ballots were being counted, a man of about 55, in white working gloves, started talking to me. His four sons got military education in Ukraine, but at that time they were working at a construction site in Moscow. They were afraid to come home.



 - For me, patriotism is in the past. When there was patriotism, we believed in our country, that we were meaningful in the world. Now nobody believes anything, neither Russia, nor Ukraine. The man happened to be head of “Nash Kray” party in Milove district. 

Serhiy Lymar, calm and serious, recalled how he drove a passenger bus in Luhansk when it was being shelled. When I asked him about the “Nash Kray” party ideology, a smile appeared on his face for the first time

“We are all ours, we are all Khokhly (Ukrainians)”

Participation in the election in Milove was among the lowest in Ukraine. However, there were 79 candidates for 26 positions in the district council to compare with neighbouring Novoaydarskiy district where there were 41 candidates.

According to the results, 33-year-old businessman Pavlo Lukiantsov was elected head of the village. He did not represent any party. Among parties, the leader was the “Opposition Block”, then 'Solidarnist”. “Batkivshchyna” and “Nash Kray” were in the minority.

Locals of Milove did not expect much of the election. It was “to choose the least of the greatest evils". They understood that the plant would not open after the election. They hoped that, at least, streets would be lit, but most of all they wanted peace.

- I think your life there, deep in Ukraine, is better than ours here. We were one country; now we are divided into two blocks. However, we are all ours, we are all Khokhly. There is no pure Ukrainian here, still we are Ukraine, Tamara Ivanivna went back to sweeping dry leaves outside her small old house in Druzhby Narodov Street.

 A bit further along the street, there was a Ukrainian flag over the heads of Ukrainian and Russian border guards. It was on a high post in one of the yards. In Milove there were no fences painted Ukrainian of Russian colours, so that single flag caused surprise.

We came to the house several times and rang the bell, and knocked. Nobody was waiting for us there; nobody opened the door. A senior man working in a garage nearby answered our question what the flag meant.

- That one? The position.

Svitlana Oslavska, UP

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