On the verge of death. Cyborg “Spartanets”.Part 1

He is sergeant major of the first company, the 90th separate airmobile battalion of the 95th brigade. His name is Anatoliy Svirid, call name – “Spartanets”. He is a cyborg of Donetsk airport. He was there and did not give up until the last, despite asphyxiating gas, tanks, mines, and launchers.

He was condemned to death, but he survived and came back home. He came back unconquered as well as his comrades-in-arms. He left nobody there at the airport, neither those who were alive, nor the dead ones.

Practically every day he was on the verge of death.  His legs were wounded with fragments; his lungs were turning out because of asphyxiating gas; his heart was beating stronger and stronger.

They were in a very difficult situation, and their heroism astonished the enemy. Cyborgs became the symbol of patriotism, courage, and self-sacrifice.

They fought knowing that every new day may be the last for them.

They left the airport, but they left it unconquered. A lot of their comrades-in-arms stayed there forever. Even today, a year after the heroic defense of the Donetsk airport, the exact number of those perished there is not known. 

- Nobody wants to be responsible for the death of our cyborgs in the airport, says Anatoliy Svirid. They try to forget about it despite the witnesses who are alive. They speak about figure;, they say that the defense ended on January 22… There was nobody at the airport on January 22.

The two most difficult months in life

The battle for the airport started for the 90th separate airmobile battalion at the end of November.
Anatoliy Svirid recalls how they came there together with legendary commander Oleh Kuzminykh, they examined the position, identified the places for mortar batteries, where to place the militaries of the unit.

At that time the airport was defended by recruits. The enemy understood that, and active assaults and shelling started at the beginning of December.

On December 2, Anatoly was wounded at “Zenit” position. Due to its strategic importance, the place was one of militants’ main targets as it opened the way to Avdiivka, Opytne, and Piski.

- It was a serious shelling from Spartak area. Grach and I were wounded by the same mine. I heard it whistling a few seconds before… Grach perished. I survived, with contusion and wounds.
Militaries say that they will not hear or see their shell.

- I was one of the first wounded in our battalion; and our first cyborg Andriy Tereshchenko died on December 2, says Anatoliy Svirid. – The war may have finished for me with this wound. But I could not leave the people who I trained. They were like my children. Yes, they were grown up men, but they needed me, and, frankly speaking, I needed them.

 
 
All the militaries of the battalion admitted that those months were the most difficult period in their lives. The situation was aggravated because of the absence of any plan – they were just sitting and waiting for an attack.

We have to speak about the living conditions there too: dirt, garbage, concrete. It was impossible to find a dry and warm place. Non-stop coldness and non-stop battles.

- Nobody ate. There were rations, but it was impossible to eat them though they were like happiness in captivity. However, when there are battles, nobody wants to eat; only thirst: you are thirsty. 

Before January, the airport defenders were bombed mostly at night. But all the approaches to the airport were blocked day and night.

“Spartanets” recalled that volunteers could not get to the airport even if they tried. The storage was refilled only during rotations: then water, rations, warmers, ammunition, and fuel for generators were delivered.

It was possible to get there only using tractors on tracks.

War is an art. You should know when to retreat

- On January 16, I was shouting that it was necessary to leave the airport and to blow it up, by ourselves, without our victims. The situated aggravated. The war is an art. You should retreat in time to attack again later.

Then, on January 19, there was the first explosion – militants blew up the first floor slab of the new terminal.

Before the explosion they identified the direction of the wind and used asphyxiating gas. One could not breathe and  the lungs were turned out, as “Spartanets” said.

Explosions started in 40 minutes, then the assault lasted till 6 am, January 20. We had to construct a barricade… using boxes for ammunition.

- When they stopped for a while, we had time to somehow bandage wounds. I got 20 cuts of the legs. Maybe, military training saved me: the strongest survive. In the afternoon there was one more explosion. Nothing was left after it: no roof, just a crater.

Roksana Kasumova for UP. Life

Photo from Anatoliy Svirid’s private archive

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