The mobilized father of 10 children cannot return from SVO: the family asked the authorities to help

45-year-old Denis Lesnov has been at the NWO since October last year. He left as part of a partial mobilization. He might not have left – he had a job reservation, and citizens with dependents of four or more children under the age of 16 are also not subject to conscription.

According to the Federal Law-48 “On guardianship and guardianship”, an adopted child is also considered to be dependent.

“Seryozha is 8 years old, he has a disability, Nonna is 12 years old, with disabilities in psychiatry, Yulia, Lera, Artyom, Timur – 14 years old, Marta – 16, Tom – 17, Zhenya, although 18, but she is still a schoolgirl, “- lists the children, relatives and adopted, the spouse of the mobilized Yulia Lesnova.

“Our dad drove to the military enlistment office in a car with his eldest daughter Ekaterina, she had to register as a military man – she is a pharmacist. To be honest, I don’t know what kind of conversation took place there – he left me for another office for five minutes and returned with a signed agenda. He was gone for several minutes.

Denis has Chechnya behind him, they said that he only needed to go to Ukraine for three months, and he decided that he could stand it for three months. The husband is a patriot of Russia, and therefore he did so.

Julia and Denis are the perfect foster family. Of those about whom films are made, articles are written and set as an example to others. Their family portrait was published in the annual calendar and hung in all guardianship offices. Thanks for the worthy upbringing of future citizens of Russia, certificates of honor – do not count.

I’ve known them for probably seven years now. Once they became the heroes of my article. Julia took a girl in a difficult life situation, who went through one foster family, who suffered in a difficult criminal case. Some officials scared them that they didn’t even need to get involved – there were too many problems, while others exclaimed: “Julia and Denis, if not you, then who?”

Both agreed.

I was shocked that on the very first day when that girl appeared with them, still completely alien, unfamiliar, Yulia immediately said: this is my daughter. Do not hesitate for a moment about the correctness of your decision. Now the girl has already graduated from high school and is studying in college.

The Lesnovs then lived in Novorossiysk. And before that, in Kostroma. And even before that, they worked as night educators in an orphanage, they met there, and then they decided that one day they would take orphans from the system for education.

Active. Tireless. Indifferent.

The couple decided on foster children when there were already four of their own.

When I talk to Yulia now, I just don’t recognize her. Where is that woman with overflowing energy?

“I have absolutely no strength left, I don’t sleep, I cry all the time,” she tells me over the phone. “And then it turned out that Seryozha, our youngest, had a severe deterioration in health and urgently needed an operation.”

For Seryozha, at one time, Yulia flew as far as the Far East – to Blagoveshchensk. I learned about it when I was the administrator of a large thematic group in social networks.

Congenital heart defect. Microcephaly. Impaired mental function. Cleft of hard and soft palate. When the biological mother was pregnant with a boy, the fetus was constantly deprived of oxygen. Was born prematurely at 34 weeks. Refusenik.

At three and a half years old, he weighed 7 kilograms.

“When we returned home together with our son, Denis sat next to me on the couch. He put his hand on the baby’s back. He covered almost all of him with himself, such Seryozha was tiny, and he says: it seems to me that you seem to have come from the hospital again.

Yulia says that she has read about the difficulties with adopted children that happen in other families, how they do not accept their parents, and the parents do not accept them. “We have never had this. All our adopted children were simply born with us, like their own.

At one time, they moved from Kostroma to live in the sea – one of the daughters was diagnosed with asthma and allergies, the doctors strongly recommended changing the climate. The hero city, green, incredibly beautiful, the sun shines almost all year round and, wherever you look, endless mountains are everywhere.

“To be honest, there are no healthy children among our foster children at all. Especially now that puberty has begun and they are growing. We need to constantly see doctors, everyone needs different ones, we figured that going to an appointment by train from the Moscow region is cheaper and faster than flying regularly by plane from Novorossiysk. There were simply no such specialists on the spot. So we decided to move again.”

There was no money for Moscow. Therefore, they settled in the region, in Chekhov. They began to build a private house so that everyone had their own place and personal space.

Uranoplasty, a reconstructive operation to correct a cleft palate, was performed by Seryozha last spring. A few months before Denis signed the agenda.

“Denis as a husband and as a father is perfect, absolutely flawless, this is not because he is my husband, just such a person,” Yulia continues. He always tried to calm me down. It had absolutely everything. I am the mother and he is everything else. I just now realized that our family coped and rested on his shoulders.

Several business trips to Chechnya as part of the OMON. Then he served in the Airborne Forces in Novorossiysk. The last time I was in Crimea was in 2014.

All this did not go unnoticed – Denis has two operations on his spine. The back is slashed, scarred. Yulia also has all the medical documents in her hands. “Actually, that’s why I was sure that they wouldn’t take him to the SVO – you never know what he was asked for, he has a release at work, children, and even health problems.”

Son Seryozha deteriorated sharply after the departure of Denis. It turned out that the first operation to correct the defect of the upper palate, which the boy had done back in 2022, gave a complication. Part of the stitches have parted and it is no longer possible to pull – a second surgical intervention is required. “On top of that, he lost his hearing. The audiologist believes that it is necessary to install shunts in the ear canals, this is not as urgent as maxillofacial surgery. But it’s also a matter of the near future.”

Yulia simply has nowhere to go. From children. She cannot go to the hospital with her son and leave them alone. He cannot entrust someone as a guardian. And they cannot be temporarily placed in a shelter either. “That would be just disgusting and betrayal, I think.”

All the children who live with them, except for their daughter Evgenia, are minors. “Another daughter – she has mental development limitations, she cannot be allowed to leave the house alone, I must always be there.”

At first, they were proud of the Lesnov family and set Denis’ act as an example to everyone. Julia set the timer in the back of her mind: three months, as he said. But time passed and, after three months, it became clear that it was for a long time. More precisely, until the end of the decree on partial mobilization. In fact, it was immediately clear that this would be the case. Nobody will cancel the law for the sake of one person.

“We tried to ensure that Denis was released at least six months later on the required vacation, but also, alas. Although the husband, according to the length of service as a veteran of military operations, should be granted leave and even increased in time.

The problem is also that both Lesnovs – both Yulia and Denis, are joint guardians of the children. And to solve some issues in relation to the pupils, not only global, but even small ones – like buying a phone for one of the daughters, they should only work together.

“When asked to buy a mobile phone for our daughter Martha, we were officially answered that “there is no properly certified consent of the second legal representative of the minor Denis Sergeevich Lesnov,” and without it, such a purchase cannot be allowed. There is simply no such mechanism, otherwise they themselves will be punished.”

Denis has not been home for eight months. Julia stayed with the children in an unfinished house with an unplanted garden. Recently, she wrote everywhere, wherever possible, begged for the return of her husband. She explained the situation with her son’s illness, the difficulties with other children. Alas, her appeals just go downhill – no answer.

She turned to me out of desperation. I’m used to the fact that journalists write only good things about them – and here it is.

“Of course, many can say – why Denis acted so recklessly, did not think about what would happen to the children, did not consult with me – but he was guided by the best intentions, we did not expect this to happen.”

Six graduations this year in their family. The eleventh grade, the ninth grade, elementary school, kindergarten, two daughters graduated from a music school at once …

“Tomorrow there are three meetings at school at the same time and how can I be in three places at once? I feel that there is no strength, this is not burnout – no, what do children have to do with it? I have always felt joy from them. But everything else is depressing.

I recently returned a letter of thanks that was sent to me in February from one high authority – it says that they will always be there and help in everything, but these turned out to be empty words.

Julia’s last hope at the moment is to realize her husband’s right to early retirement. In early June, Denis turns 45 years old. He has more than 25 years of general experience, more than 15 years of special experience.

She hopes that after all he will be given the opportunity to return to her and the children. That there should be a legal way out of their situation.

But what about Denis himself? Of course, he corresponds with his wife. And aware of the complicated situation in the family. His wish now is to be with her.