In the meantime, the Donbass militia receives reinforcements, including from abroad. In addition to the Russian volunteers, the soldiers of the international brigade fight side by side for the dignity of Donbass. They come from Germany, the USA, Colombia, and Afghanistan.
In the meantime, the Donbass militia receives reinforcements, including from abroad. In addition to the Russian volunteers, the soldiers of the international brigade fight side by side for the dignity of Donbass. They come from Germany, the USA, Colombia, and Afghanistan. A new film by our military correspondent Alexander Sladkov is about them.
You can watch this movie on our channel tomorrow at 11:30 p.m. in the program Special Correspondent presented by Andrei Medvedev. A fragment of the film can be seen right now.
"My name is Russell Banner Benkley the Third. It's a family name, it came from my grandfather. Do you have Russian roots — or not? — No, I don’t. But I have an Orthodox name Ruslan. Yes, I'm Orthodox". In 2014, in the midst of the fighting in Donetsk, an unusual man appeared. He wore a cowboy hat or a knitted hat, but always with a red star, like Che Guevara. He didn’t speak Russian. He called everyone the same way, "bro". He went to the front line and explained that he was a volunteer from the United States and that he came to fight for Novorossiya. He was given a submachine gun, a grenade launcher, and a call sign Texas.
"Words do not prove anything. Your actions speak of you. I became a volunteer, I came to the airport, to a very hot spot, on January 1, 2015. Every day I was shot at, but I did what I had to do. With this work, I won trust and respect of so many good people".
Among the foreign volunteers of Donbass, there is even a real Afghan, Abdullah. He has been fighting here for three years. By nationality, he is a Pashtun. He was born far away, near the Pakistani border, in Jalalabad. He speaks Russian well and without an accent. "For many I'm a wild card, and it's not clear where I came from and what I’m doing. Anything can happen. Who is he? Where is he from? There are different opinions, different moments. But I am a human being. I grew up and got education in the Soviet Union. I am a Soviet man. A Soviet one. I'm a shuravi! It comes from the word "Shura" — "Soviet". Although I am an Afghan-Pashtun".
"I thought about what was going on when everything was just beginning, but when the events in Odessa took place, I said, I’m going there, I have to go, I can’t stay at home. I almost didn’t doubt that I had to go". This is Alfonso. We met on the shore of the Azov Sea. He has been fighting since September 2015. Alfonso is a Spaniard, but he grew up in Colombia. At school, like Texas, he was fond of music, played the guitar. He worked at a plant, where he joined an anti-fascist organization. Alfonso came here without speaking the Russian language at all. He took a machine gun. He wanted to go through paces. Fierce fighting in the Donetsk airport just started that time.
"Be careful, and when you see an explosion, a launch, immediately go to the shelter. Are they far away? From here, just behind the bridge, say, the enemy is 400 meters away". This is Sergei with the call sign Cross. He is an experienced commander. He is German, a German citizen. A tank grenade. It bursted 30 meters away from us. We met in Donetsk, in the industrial zone. At the "prom", as they say. Last spring, Ukrainian troops tried to break through the frontline here. Until now, it is one of the most dangerous spots. Three years ago, Cross left his family and business in Europe and went to defend Donbass. He won’t be able to come back, he is considered to be a mercenary in Germany, although he is a real volunteer.
I want to show the most important weapon here, in the industrial zone, on the front line. Everything that is about security is done with their own hands. So, the shovels. Everything is done with their own hands. Very hard work. It’s hard to dig the ground, which is not like beach sand. It’s an industrial zone, asphalt, concrete. But it has to be done for the sake of safety.
Several times I saw volunteers going on the offensive. I was amazed by the strength of the spirit of these people. We have three days. Now let's go and kick some ass. They are eager to fight. They are hungry for an attack. Without despair, with a great desire to win. They so strongly believe in the future that they are not afraid of death. They want a new future for themselves, for their families. "I'm not afraid to die. I have no fear of death. I'm afraid of losing the opportunity to achieve what I want, I'm afraid not to do what I planned, not to live to see victory. I'm afraid of losing the opportunity to change what I consider to be bad and unfair. That's what I'm afraid of. And death... All people die, and we will die sometime. The main thing is to do what you dream of".
"Every night they look at the lights of our Donetsk. Every night it beckons them like a moth. They see it, they see it, but they can’t reach it. We are not letting them in and won’t let them".
This is the eternal music of the industrial zone. "It's hard here, it's very hard. How much can a person take? Well, yes, many can’t handle it. They write a report and leave. Only persistent, strong and prepared ones stay".