Andriy Zelinskyy FOR MY ENGLISH SPEAKING FRIENDS!!! (Thanks to Jeffrey Stephaniuk for his translation !!! Sunrise... Dawn... The frost sparkles in the light and the snow crunches underfoot. The sky is beautiful in its deep azure innocence. All around everything is silent; as profound and impressive as the clear blue sky enveloping the Pisky I encounter this morning. Silence has the power not only to heal, but also to frighten. Ears that have grown accustomed to a ceaseless cannonade are now confused by the unnerving unfamiliarity of a sudden stillness... Throughout the night a battle was fought. It was fierce and came from every direction. There hasn’t even been a hint of peace during the last four days in Pisky. There has been no break in the bombardments. All of our positions were hit with everything imaginable. Yesterday they wounded the commander in charge of our unit badly enough for him to need hospitalization. He was hit at the exact spot where not ten minutes earlier I could be found, in the dark and deep in thought, with just the lone and fragile light of a paraffin candle beside me... That candle is now somewhere under the debris. They fired at us from all four directions. One particular mortar landed very close to me. I saw smoke, destruction, blood, and wreckage. I kept the wounded company until the medics arrived, and later I stayed with the rest of the men, praying... Over the radio a thousand voices could be heard competing to relay information to correct the accuracy of our fire, and decide on orders; to transform their anger into artillery volleys against the open sky, howling, whistling, exploding...In the darkness and chill of these Donetsk winter nights I couldn’t stop asking myself: of what practical use can I be here??? I most definitely want to be of some value... I am comforted by the thought that today I am where I should be... At any rate, here’s to the New Year, Ukraine!!! Enjoy today’s Olivye salad, and sparkling champagne, a festival mood for a festive evening!!! God willing, I will remain alive until this evening, and I will pray for peace!!!
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 15:53:56 +0000
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