Artyom Mosha, a Ukrainian soldier who died at Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo by AFP.
For over two months, Iryna Yegorchenko prayed that his son Artem, one of the Ukrainian soldiers defending the large Mariupol Azovstal Steelworks, the last stronghold of resistance besieged by Russian forces, emerged unscathed from the war between Russia and Ukraine. But on Wednesday the news of his death It came like lightning.
Saddened, Iryna made sure she also felt a kind of relief: at least his son, who is 22 years old, will not be caught by the Russians.Nor will he experience famine or suffer the wounds of many of his comrades.
“I suddenly felt better. It is easier to know that your child is dead than to know that he or she is a captive.wounded or starving, ”explained the 43-year-old woman who lives in the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, where she gave an interview to the news agency. AFP.
To all the civilians who evacuated thanks to a mission of the United Nations Organization and the Red Cross, in the Azovstal steelworks only buried warriors remain in a labyrinth of endless Soviet corridors and bunkers. on top, the russians already controlled almost all of this city port on the Sea of Azov.
Artiom, a tough -looking young man with a passion for boxing, took refuge in the steel mill in early March. Total spent 74 days on Telegram and Instagram as the only means of communication including the outside.
Artyom Mosha, a Ukrainian soldier who died in Mariupol, along with his sister, mother and father. Photo by AFP.
“They weren’t allowed to call. Sometimes he would just write a ‘+’ when he asked if he was still alive,” said Iryna, a psychologist by training, who also has a 20 -year -old daughter and two adopted children. ages 9 and 6.
Artem always tells him that he is fine. But to her friends she was more honest, the mother now realizes. “I wrote to them that their days were numbered, that they should not depart from them. “he hinted, his voice full of emotion.
Artiom last spoke to his mother on May 7. The contact then disappeared until on May 11 Iryna received the message: his son died from the collapse of a concrete block.
“And at least he didn’t suffer. Everything is so fast. God is with him, “he calmed himself.
Artyom Mosha, a Ukrainian soldier who died at Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo by AFP.
The city of Mariupol and the Azovstal steel mill in Ukraine became symbols of the intense resistance of its troops against the Russian occupier. And for Iryna Yegorchenko, death of his son defending his country is a source of enormous pride: “He lived well, he protected himself. He got his place in paradise.”
Iryna doesn’t know if she’ll be able to get the rest of it when the fight is over. But he still doesn’t want to see his son in the coffin. “It hurts me physically to know that he is no longer with us. I wish I could see what her future would be like If this war hadn’t started yet, what would my grandchildren be?
With information from the AFP.
Source: Clarin