Mass graves of Bakhmut, about which we will learn more. The story of the “White Angel” about how the city disappeared

There are definitely mass graves in Bakhmut. But how many there are and what their scale is, is still unknown.

“One local man told us that he was engaged in burying his neighbors – just where it flew, where it killed. He tried to somehow hide the bodies, cover them with earth, so that the dogs would not drag them,” says 39-year-old policeman Pavlo Dyachenko, a member of the “White Angels” squad “.

The 75,000-year-old Bakhmut was wiped off the face of the earth literally before his eyes. He told the details of the hell, arranged by the Russians for a peaceful Ukrainian city, especially for the special project “Hide Your Own” on “Ukrainian Pravda. Life”.

Bakhmut was simply erased, district by district

Pavlo was born in Kostyantynivka, which is also currently suffering from enemy aircraft and rocket attacks. He has been in the Ministry of Internal Affairs since 2001, and for the past 7 years he has been working in the Bakhmut police. During this time, the city became like a native for him.

Since 2014, Bakhmut has been a front-line city, as it was called then – “on the demarcation line”. But at the same time, they tried to live a peaceful life, work, and develop here.

“When I scroll through social media, I see many photo memories from Bakhmutians who left during the full-scale invasion, – says the man. – Even during the war, the city was super, flourishing. And it just hurts to look at him now. Because what the Russians did to him cannot be described or conveyed in words. The city was being destroyed before our eyes, before the eyes of the police and the military. It just faded awaydistrict by district”.

Police officer Pavlo Dyachenko, member of the White Angels squad

Bakhmut was the center of the salt industry of Ukraine. Dozens of factories of heavy, light and food industry worked here. Museums, libraries, cinemas, clubs were opened for citizens. Already during the Russian invasion of Donbas, the embankment, the square on Metalurgiv Boulevard, and the Alley of Roses were reconstructed.

Now all this has been destroyed. Russia was doing its dirty work in front of the eyes of the whole civilized world, because many international media journalists worked in Bakhmut as long as it was still possible. They filmed and covered how the occupiers destroyed people, houses, and eventually the entire city.

“Each destroyed house, each private house – this is a big hit and a landmark for us, – says Pavlo Dyachenko. – Today the house is still there, but tomorrow you drive by – it is destroyed or half-ruined. Once we drive into the city, we see something burning in the very center. And this is the Martynov Palace of Culture. And the people who worked there are trying to save things, take them out of the fire. It’s just horrible.”

Pavlo filmed all this, covered many strikes in social networks.

“There is a video on Facebook of the Main Administration of the Donetsk region: I enter the building, the roof is falling, everything is on fire– Paul remembers. – Perhaps, after the victory, we will make a documentary from this large archive. And there will be not only Bakhmut, but also Toretsk, Siversk, where people are also suffering, where rockets are fired and aerial bombs are dropped.”

Those who were not there cannot even imagine what happened

“White Angels” is a police unit engaged in evacuation and humanitarian aid for the population. Works in the hottest spots of Donetsk region.

The name of the detachment was “given” by the people.

“The boys left by car”fastoh help” white color, – says Pavlo. – Already now I don’t remember – or that’s grandmaor the child once said: “Look, they came to save like white angels.” And since then we have been called “White Angels”. Since December 1 last year – officially by order of the head of the National Police Department in Donetsk region.”

They work in small crews. “White angels” appear where it is most difficult, where people need them the most, in different directions – Bakhmutsky, Lymansky, Volnovasky.

How many people have already been helped – never counted:

“This is not some quantitative indicator. Each evacuation – very important, even if it is one person, even family. When you succeed – super. This often happens chaotically, quickly, there is no time to rewrite data under fire. People who weren’t there cannot imagine, what’s going on. It’s a risk, a big risk.”

Among hundreds of others, difficult and responsible, a special place is occupied by the evacuation of children. Here, the “angels” take on even greater responsibility, because they often have to persuade parents to evacuate, so that they understand the need to leave.

“I remember how we took a family out of the village of New York (it’s near Toretsk): 6 children and a mother. It was quiet, all right. With the help of volunteers, they found a very good shelter for them… And a week later in Toretsk, local policemen say: “The other day, a shell hit their house!”. What would have happened if we had not taken the family out – God forbid. There four little children and two older girls”, – Paul says.

What could be scarier than Bakhmut?

Another task of the “White Angels” is to pick up bodies and deliver them to the morgue. Until the fall of 2022, the police still had the opportunity to go around the city after the shelling in search of dead citizens. When the body was found, the investigative team documented everything and took appropriate actions. But, according to Pavel Dyachenko, every day it became more difficult to work:

“Somehow we received information that two women were killed. They were going to one of the aid stations, and on the way home they came under fire. Then they bombed non-stop for a whole day – and we couldn’t go and pick up the bodies. They were just lying on the ground.”

If Bakhmut was hell in summer and autumn, it became even worse in winter. There was no possibility to restore the electricity supply, there was no water, no heating, nothing worked. And although the military administration and volunteers worked with all their might, delivering firewood, briquettes, and small pots, the conditions finally ceased to be suitable for life.

“IN people, who remained in Bakhmut, there was no physical possibility to go outside. They only moved in short runs to the humanitarian headquarters and back.” – recalls Pavlo.

The capabilities of the rescue squads also became increasingly limited:

“Once a girl calls and asks – I haven’t been in touch with my parents for 3 months, go away, glossyAre you alive? He calls the address, but there is no access there for two months, there is no way to get there.”

When mobile communication in the city disappeared for good, the police received information about the dead from people who reached the Point of Invincibility.

Despite all this, if there was even the slightest chance to break through, they always went to help and evacuate.

“Often we had to literally break through – the roads, which were once paved, turned into a real mess. At any moment you can get stuck or overturn. We went to areas where no one went, only the Armed Forces were there, – says the policeman. – We were taking a man who could not move on his own and his wife. The man was carried on a soft stretcher, see – the cat is running I say: what if you don’t take the cat? And she told me – “What, you can?“. And she happily picked him up in her arms.”

One of the last evacuations from Bakhmut was carried out at night together with the military. There was no physical possibility to enter the city. The military used heavy equipment to transport people to the location, and the “White Angels” were already intercepted there.

Their motivation is the safety of people:

“We saw those we saved later in shelters, they come up, thank us for taking them out. Over time, people come to understand that they really could have been killed.”.

Despite everything, there are many cases when people refuse to leave, do not agree to evacuate on time.

“Everyone has their own. The elderly say that this is their city, they live herewere born – here and will die. Only when the house is destroyedthey say – evacuate, pleasewe have already made up our minds, we are ready to leave, – says Pavlo. – And you understand that you can no longer help.

Sometimes, we simply couldn’t physically get to one or another area, because there was already active fighting there – everything is burning, burning, collapsing… Others said: “It’s not scary at all, maybe it will be even scarier.” Although I can’t imagine what could be scarier than Bakhmut.”

Evacuation from Bakhmut

I want life to return!

According to the authorities’ estimates, at the beginning of the summer there were about 500 people left in Bakhmut out of more than 70,000 residents. Most of Bakhmut residents left for other regions of Ukraine or abroad.

“To all of us, – says Pavlo Dyachenko, – it is very painful to see what the occupiers have turned our city into. The townspeople painfully experienced every destroyed house, every destroyed place – the palace of culture, our plane, where everyone used to like to take pictures, very cool murals with the image of a happy family.

Look on social networks: people from Bakhmut still continue to post photos from various powerful events, concerts, and sports competitions that took place in the city. So that the world does not forget this.”

He has a dream: after our victory, to film the restoration of destroyed cities:

“I want, so that people return to their cities, so that happy children run in parks, squares, so that life returns. So that people have a job and have a meaning in life!”.

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On the “Shelter” website, caring Ukrainians can offer housing for displaced people by posting a relevant ad. Therefore, IDPs can find temporary shelter in any region of Ukraine or abroad, for a few days or for a longer period. The filter system will help you easily choose the option that meets your criteria and quickly contact the owner. The site works in 40 languages.

This is a completely volunteer initiative. It was launched on the first day of the full-scale invasion by People’s Deputy of Ukraine Halyna Yanchenko. Later, the “Shelter” program received state support. Homeowners who sheltered displaced persons receive compensation from the state for the payment of communal services.

Roxana Kasumovaespecially for “UP. Life”