“Avdeevka is a viper’s nest”: a poet who visited the DPR described the situation

All the fighters whom Igor Panin knows have been transferred to the Avdeevskoe direction

Moscow poet, military correspondent and volunteer Igor Panin returned from a humanitarian trip to the special operation zone – and immediately gave a short interview to a MK correspondent. We talked about “travel impressions” and the changes that have occurred in the DPR recently, and, in particular, after the intensification of fighting in the Avdiivka direction. The publication’s interlocutor noted changes for the better in the municipal sector of Gorlovka and drew attention to the “strangeness” in the new reality of Donetsk.

– Igor, in what part of the NVO zone were you now? How have the “new territories” changed since your last trip?

– With our humanitarian and writing mission “Loaf” for Donbass” I visit the DPR more often. But, of course, I also visit the LPR. It was the same this time. One of the changes that immediately catches your eye is that roads are being repaired in many places. And this is a huge plus. In Gorlovka, for example, it used to be difficult to drive even in the city center; there were continuous potholes there. Now a normal road surface has been laid.

– How did you see Gorlovka? Before leaving, you mentioned that you were planning to meet with Mayor Ivan Prikhodko, who was recently assassinated.

“I know no more about this assassination attempt than the average person.” Although I have heard different versions. But I didn’t manage to see Ivan Sergeevich, you can’t get to him so easily, you need prior approval. And we were delayed on business in the Lugansk region, so we stopped in Gorlovka later than planned and literally a day and a half.

– What are the moods in Donbass? Are changes felt in connection with the “simmering” on the Avdeevsky front?

“They are felt in the fact that many people whom I know and whom I wanted to see, whether ordinary soldiers or unit commanders, have now been transferred to Avdeevka. And let’s hope that we will still be able to push the enemy in that direction. Avdeevka is not just a well-fortified settlement, it is also a viper’s nest from which Donetsk was shelled for nine years. The death of civilians and children is all the fault of the “ukrovoyaks” who have settled in Avdeevka. And this issue, of course, needs to be resolved somehow.

– How is life in Gorlovka now, and what are the soldiers talking about? Are they tired from long service? Does this affect the fighting spirit?

– The front line still runs virtually along the edge of Gorlovka. Naturally, this cannot but stress people out. Both civilian and military. As for the fighters, if we are talking about locals now, then fatigue is certainly noticeable. Many were wounded, more than once, their health was undermined, they were exhausted mentally and physically. But this does not in any way affect the desire to win. It’s just that desire and opportunity are slightly different things.

– How difficult is it, in principle, to travel to new territories? I mean not so much logistically and organizationally, but psychologically difficult.

– I recently calculated that since last summer I have been in Donbass for a total of more than three months. This is a small contract actually. Do you remember there were these for soldiers in the first year of the Northern Military District?

The only difference is that no one pays me for this and no one writes me travel allowances. Everything is done entirely on our own. And if something bad happens to me, the family will not receive any compensation.

This is probably not normal, but who has it easy now?

Read the material “The Russian army entered Avdiivka: Zelensky admitted the criticality of the situation”