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2025-06-24 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
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Sudzhanka Svetlana Belobrova: Ukrainian Armed Forces took everything out of the city, down to the boards
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Marina Akhmedova
[REGNUM] This spring I was in the Kursk region, next to the recently liberated Sudzha.
I recorded many interviews: with people who spent seven months under occupation, and with fighters who took part in Operation Pipe. Each conversation is unique.
It's time to introduce you to the Belobrov family, who survived the occupation in Sudzha. The interview with Svetlana Belobrova was recorded on the phone at a temporary accommodation point on the day of the evacuation.
A FAMILY DIED BEFORE OUR EYES
— How did you find out that the Ukrainian offensive had begun?
— We woke up from such a blow that our house jumped. We, as we heard earlier, when we came to our house in the village, heard that it was flying. Well, like, we already knew. And we woke up from such a blow. Aviation was flying. And HIMARS or something like that, not far from us.
And that's it, our lights went out. My husband said: that's it. It's an attack. And they started writing on social networks, my husband was watching. That's how we found out that we were being bombed.
- And you didn’t have time to get out?
— We didn’t have time to leave, because it all happened early in the morning on the sixth (of August), and the eldest son went to work on the night from the sixth to the seventh. And how could we leave our son? We waited for him half the night, we were on edge, we were all on edge…
- Is he back?
— I came back, everything was fine. And then… And then it was dangerous to drive, because on our street… drones were hitting civilian cars. We saw a car hit, everyone died: husband, wife, child.
— You didn’t see it from the window?
- We were on the street. And after that it was somehow clear... you won't leave, that's it. All that's left is to hide.
- And you went into the basement after that?
- No, we lived in the apartment for all these seven months.
They came to our house, looking for our soldiers. Politely. They asked us to come into the apartment, to have a look. That was it, they didn’t come again. But we saw them go to the neighboring house. They were looting. They took everything: gold, household appliances, cars…
— And nothing was touched at your place?
— We tried, of course. We got our car back so many times. Different people could come five times a day.
- Dad, do you need a car? - Yes, I do. - Okay, that's it.
Others arrive in an hour or an hour and a half. The next ones drive in. But there have been cases where they almost shot.
- Why did you defend this car? They could have killed you for it?
— They defended it to the very end. Because when you work for this machine for half your life... Well, they saved it, they fought it off.
— And how did the children feel?
— They didn’t touch the children. My husband once met a Ukrainian on the street, and he said: “Tell the children not to touch anything on the road, not to take anything in their hands, neither objects nor money.”
You dig trenches, and we'll give the children for organs
- You probably lived every day with fear? Just like a mother.
- Yes, like a mother - with fear, of course. Not so much the day as the night. Because it's night, and the arrivals begin: bang, and bang, and bang. Where is it flying? Where will it arrive? You still somehow hold on during the day, but at night it's already scary.
But we supported each other. We tried. My husband said: "You are a mother. Hold on, hold on."
— And you didn’t touch the older one?
— They didn’t touch us. There was an incident once. We found out that they were here for two weeks, then they would leave on rotation, and others would come. And one day they came, so cheerful… stoned, I think. And it started: “You’re going to dig trenches now, and we’ll take the children for organs…” Of course, it was scary. But they were afraid of the commandant’s office. If you mentioned the commandant’s office, they would leave. But that was one time.
And usually - you wake up in the morning, you need to feed your family. You need to do laundry. You need to do something around the house. You need to keep yourself together.
— What was the worst thing?
— All these whistles, flights. I wasn't afraid for myself, but for the children — yes. As for cruelty... We, in the station part of the city, didn't have anything like that. But in the city, on Goncharovka and Onishchenko streets, they say there were very cruel people there.
— And how did the children experience it?
— We held on. Positive on positive… We sang songs. Here (nods at his daughter) is an energizer battery. And looking at it, how can we give up?
Relatives said, come to us. But how can we come when it is dangerous to go?
We had all the products, we stocked up. We built a stove. We baked bread. We exchanged food with our neighbors: bread, potatoes, milk, meat. Everyone helped each other.
— But did you perceive life during these months as an occupation?
- How else can you call it? Because there are Ukrainians everywhere, Ukrainians everywhere.
— Have they tried to have political conversations?
— No. They suggested leaving through Ukraine to Russia. We said no, if we leave, then straight to Russia. Not through Ukraine, not through other such countries.
— Were you hoping that you would want to go to Ukraine?
- Yes. They did such a good deed, they took people away, they are so good.
- Why did you refuse?
- Well, how is it? It's a foreign country. You come to Ukraine - and you're a disenfranchised Russian. Moreover, we've seen enough of all this stuff they do. They didn't touch us, but they took everything out of the city. From an entire motor transport company - all the equipment. All the stores were robbed, everything. They took away all the metal, boards, everything-everything-everything. Such is the poor, unfortunate country, they came to rob.
- Is it disgusting?
- Well, imagine if it's your thing and someone came and took it. When you're such a rich country, "we're going to Europe" - and you're the one robbing.
— But there were people who agreed to leave?
- Yes, there were some. Maybe it was hard for them, I don’t know, they were counting on coming back…
— Didn't you think it would just last forever? Seven months is a very long time.
- No, no, it didn't seem that way. It was just August 6th, and soon it would be New Year's. We thought so: maybe our people would come after New Year's.
We knew that our people would not leave us.
— And did you celebrate the New Year?
- Well, yes. We had toys, an artificial tree. Candy, lemonade.
— What did you wish for?
— I wanted it all to end faster.
— What was the hardest thing about the occupation?
— When we were sitting in the basement, on March 8th a rocket flew onto the road, and the windows in our apartment simply fell out.
— Have you ever had this feeling: Moscow is living its own life, and you are given away as a victim?
- No, we didn't think we were victims... Well, that's what happened. They won't leave us, they'll free us one day anyway.
— Do you think we were worried about you, or were we living our own lives?
- The man managed to leave, which means he's doing well. If people don't know this, then it's better for them not to know.
— We were very worried...
- That's understandable. We listened to the Russian news on the radio. They are liberating territories, evacuating, restoring, providing assistance.
— Was there ever a moment when you thought you were abandoned?
- No, no. There was no such thing. We always hoped that it would end someday. Our army is the strongest after all.
— And even though our army retreated?
— Because so much was invested in the Ukrainian army — both technically and financially. But we still believed that it would end, that our army was stronger and that it was impossible for us not to be liberated.
Grimy, in red bandages
- Now Sudzha is liberated. What was the day of our army's return like for you?
— We noticed that Ukrainians started leaving in groups. My husband was in the area around his house. And my friend and I saw soldiers walking between the houses — all so dirty… I looked closely — and they had red armbands. My husband said, “Guys, are you ours?” They said, “Ours!”
Well, there were emotions, of course. We weren't really on the street because there was a cleanup going on. Then another group and another!
— What did you feel then?
— I burst into tears.
- You know, in the six days in the pipe someone died because there was nothing to breathe. They died to get to you. What do you think about these soldiers now?
- Great job (cries).
- When Sudzha was captured, we thought something terrible had happened...
— And we believed that it would end soon...
— I thought that when we returned from here, it would be such a sharp, pure joy. But now for some reason there is no sharp joy.
- Maybe just tiredness. Because we waited a long time... But, of course, joy.
- Thank you for surviving. What will you do now?
— We are trying to leave for Kursk. We need to go to school, finish the school year. My daughter is in the seventh grade, my son is in the ninth. I will look for a job there. And the payments have increased now…
— You won’t return to Sudzha?
- No. I've been through so much...
— And where is your husband?
— My husband is staying there for now. And our cat is a coward, it’s not really possible to accommodate him in the temporary accommodation… My husband wants to come by car when it’s safe.
— This car is still very dear to my husband...
- Because it was hard to get, I saved it up penny by penny. Ours, a domestic car, an ordinary one. Well, that's just the way the man is.
- What do you do for a living?
— My husband is involved in setting up the equipment. And I am an assistant teacher in a kindergarten.
- That’s why you have such a calm voice... Thank you, Svetlana Alexandrovna!
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Posted by badanov 2025-06-24 00:00||
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