With gratitude for returning home, freedom and native air

This tragedy occurred on October 1, 2022. On the outskirts of the village of Liubymivka, Russians hit a truck with Ukrainian soldiers. Eight out of eleven soldiers of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade were killed. A counteroffensive operation was underway in the Kherson region, and Liubymivka was liberated on October 3. When the defenders entered the village, they asked the residents to put a cross on the spot where their comrades had died, so that they could come to commemorate them. The people of Liubymivka decided that they needed something more than an iron cross. They announced a fundraiser, worked in a clean-up effort, and in early October completed the national monument. The memorial cross is on the side of the road. Many people stop by it to pay their respects to the fallen Transcarpathians. After all, these young men once gave the locals the most precious thing - freedom from the occupier.

THEY PROMISED THE MILITARY TO HONOR THEIR BROTHERS-IN-ARMS

Antonina Tereshchenko, a teacher who grew up in Liubymivka, wrote about the national memorial on Facebook. It was her sister, Nataliia Sklema, who was asked by the military to honor the memory of her fallen comrades.

I call Nataliia on the phone. The woman is excited: these days, the residents of Liubymivka are remembering the moments of liberation. They say the memories still give them goosebumps.

- In those last weeks before the liberation, my husband and I hardly left the cellar. It was very loud, but then everything quieted down. And then our men came. We had heard about the tragedy on the highway when the Russians blew up a GAZ-66. When the defenders came in, we quickly got to know each other, "cleaned" them up, fed them home-cooked meals, and they shared some delicious food. Later, my husband and I received a call from a guy from the 128th, who asked us to put a memorial cross at the spot where their comrades were killed. Of course, we promised that we would do it. And then we started talking about it with our neighbors and friends, and in the process decided to build a small memorial," says Nataliia Sklema.

Antonina Tereshchenko adds that she immediately thought it should be a place to lay flowers, remember the guys and thank them.

"It's a busy road, a lot of people drive there. We need both children and older people to see and remember," she adds.

A MUG IN THE INVINCIBILITY CENTER SERVED AS A "JAR" FOR THE COLLECTION

Ms. Natalia says that at first she doubted whether she would be able to raise the necessary amount.

- "You know, after the occupation, people didn't have much money. But we took a bottle (a five-liter plastic jar of drinking water - ed.) and went with it to the village's Point of Unbreakability. There we could see everyone and tell them about the collection. We put the eggplant there and were surprised that people, despite the difficulties, found money for the monument to the guys. We raised a decent amount of money pretty quickly," says the resident of Liubymivka.

Antonina Tereshchenko adds that not only fellow villagers, but also residents of Liubymivka who evacuated and relatives of the Liubymivka soldiers contributed to the memorial. "In short, the whole world raised money.

- We have a village community on social media, and my sister and I are administrators there, so we announced the collection. We were amazed at how people joined in. No one was indifferent! People sent as much as they could, and our fellow villagers sent money from abroad. It turned out that we raised UAH 23,000," she says.

"After that, the Liubymivka residents immediately went to the village of Tokivske in the Dnipro region to order the monument.

- There is a granite quarry there, and monuments are made in almost every yard. We chose a model and it was delivered to us in the summer," Antonina adds.

THE MEMORIAL WAS ARRANGED WITH A CLEAN-UP DAY

The residents of Liubymivka resolved the issue of installing the memorial with the civil-military administration and started working. To put everything in order, they went out for two months to clean up the area.

- Our initiative group of several families met every day. First, we cleared the site. The guys brought a construction pile and poured the area for the monument. They did a good job, with reinforcement, so that it would stand well and for a long time. A local agricultural company helped us with equipment and fuel," says Antonina Tereshchenko.

People came in the afternoon and worked until the evening.

- We hoped that by October 1, the anniversary of the tragedy, the monument would be ready. Liubymivka is located in the frontline zone, so it was not possible to gather people for the unveiling. The enemy is quite close there, and drones are constantly flying. That's why we haven't consecrated the memorial yet, but we will definitely do it," she adds.

However, the Liubymivka residents contacted the relatives of the fallen soldiers from Transcarpathia.

- They really want to come and pay their respects to their relatives. We will definitely organize it, but a little later," she promises.

FIVE KILLED NEAR LIUBYMIVKA WERE BURIED IN SPRING

So far, five of those killed in the tragedy near Liubymivka have been identified. They are Oleksandr Mulesa, Eduard Chigor, Vadym Sidey, Dmytro Zeykan and Vasyl Havryltsyo. They were residents of Vynohradiv, Mukachevo and Uzhhorod districts of Transcarpathia. Men aged 30 to 37 years. For a long time they were considered missing.

The boys were buried in their hometowns and villages from March to May 2023.

Oleksandr Mulesa, a 33-year-old resident of the village of Simer, was buried in his native village.

Vadym Sidey was buried with military honors on the Walk of Fame in Perechyn.

Eduard Chyhor and Dmytro Zeikan were buried in their native Vynohradiv.

Vasyl Havrylets - in Velyki Komyaty in Vynohradiv district.

The heroes' parents, sisters, wives and small children were waiting for them to come home…

THERE ARE ALWAYS FRESH FLOWERS NEAR THE CROSS

The residents of Liubymivka say they are indebted to the fallen and their comrades.

- We paid our respects to the guys as best we could. They gave us back our home, our houses, our graves, our air..." says Natalia Sklema. - "We lived very hard under the occupation. You walk around your yard, your house, and everything is someone else's. Everything that was yours throughout your life is no longer yours. Even the air around you is not yours! We were waiting for liberation every day, every minute. We hugged the guys who came to us on October 3 like family. We have really become close to them - we often call each other, they know about our affairs, we support them. Three guys survived the tragedy. Some are serving, some are still undergoing treatment... We keep in touch with them.

He adds that October 3 is the second day of the village in Liubymivka. It is the day of liberation from the Russians, along with the day of its foundation.

Antonina Tereshchenko says that the villagers are planning to erect another memorial in the center of the village in honor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the names of those who liberated Liubymivka from the Russian invaders.

- We have a memorial to the liberators of Liubymivka from the Nazis during World War II. By the way, the Nazis who occupied the village in 2022 arranged a fun activity at that memorial: they had a shooting range there, aiming at a soldier's eye. Now we have new liberators - Ukrainian soldiers. Unfortunately, there are guys who died for our freedom. We plan to erect a stele in their honor," says Antonina.

And that cross by the road is a sign of memory of the tragic deaths of the Transcarpathians.

- That's why it's called "memorial" because people have to remember the cost of living on our land. So that this will never happen again. This place has already become a landmark. People stop there, and there are always fresh flowers. "And I'll tell you as a teacher: it's very important to bring children there," Tereshchenko adds, "They should know the Heroes who gave their lives for freedom. Because independence came at a high price for every country. But I do not remember in history such a price as Ukrainians pay for the right to have an independent state.

Tetiana Kohutych, Uzhhorod

Photos from the archives of Antonina Tereshchenko and the Novovorontsovo village military administration