The star of the Capercaillie Victoria Tarasova spoke about the horrors of life in the Donbass

– The first time I was in the Donbass in 2018. Before that, she flew to Syria for a whole year along with other artists. At some point, I toured in Rostov-on-Don. There she asked: “What is happening in Donetsk?” You can probably guess what they answered me. I wanted to go there and see everything with my own eyes.

With the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPR, they organized a trip for me very quickly. My first visit was solemn. Denis Pushilin and his wife Ira turned out to be fans of my work. We met and took pictures. During that visit, I did not see any trouble. Two weeks later, I was invited to the DPR again. They immediately said: “We don’t have money, if you want, come yourself.” Without hesitation for a minute, I bought tickets at my own expense and flew. They didn’t expect me to come. I held five creative meetings a day: both in Gorlovka and in Makeyevka.

– At that time they were already actively shooting?

– It was quiet during the day, but at night and in the morning they were shooting. It turned out that she got up at 6 in the morning, and at 8 in the evening she simply fell exhausted on the bed. I remember once they asked me: “How did you sleep today? We were so bombed at night!” I was so tired that I didn’t even hear anything. Maybe it was the emotional upheaval.

– What shocked you the most?

– I experienced the first shock in Gorlovka. They took me to kindergarten. And all the kids, meeting me, came out of the basement! Gorlovka, both at that time and now, is one of the most shelled. And the children are forced to sit in the basement virtually around the clock. They sleep and eat there. Many parents work at night. They are afraid to leave children at home and lower them into the basement, which is used as a bomb shelter.

You cannot understand what happened to me at the moment when I saw it with my own eyes. After that trip, it was no longer possible to get me out of the Donbass: I rushed to help. We bought stationery, food, and televisions …

– I understand that all your fees from filming a movie went to help?

– And I gave fees, and the fans helped. For example, I always ask them: “Don’t bring me flowers to performances, soft toys are better. Spend the same money, but it will be useful.” I collect all the toys and take them to Donbass.

– How do people live in the DPR?

– Very hard. Soup is cooked right on the street, on a fire. Take out who has what. It’s hard to believe that this is happening these days.

On one of the trips I was taken to Dokuchaevsk. This city is almost at the forefront. I needed to hold a creative meeting with the veterans who stayed there. Before the trip, I managed to collect a large amount of money. As a result, we brought financial assistance to each veteran.

I remember going into a house that was half broken. A lonely grandfather was sitting there: it turned out that his grandmother, his wife, had been killed. He began to read poetry, and then wept, talking about his life. We started drinking tea. And so he began to collect crumbs from cookies from the table on his palm and put them in his mouth. At that moment, I thought my heart would stop. I sat, looked at him and could not speak. It shocked me so much.

– During this time, you have been to the Donbass a huge number of times. Are you not scared yourself?

– Of course, it’s scary. But God takes care of me. Although, of course, when you fly to Syria, you are under the protection of the Ministry of Defense. And you are already going to the Donbass alone and you don’t know where and what can happen to you. Moreover, the Ukrainians followed me. As soon as I appeared in Donetsk, they started cursing me, throwing mud at me and calling me a terrorist. The attack began from the very first arrival. I came to Donetsk and posted photos on social networks. What then began!

The next time I was already more careful: I did not tell anyone that I was leaving. And she posted photos from the DPR only after she returned to Moscow. I promised to bring my performances to Donbass. Everything was ready for this, posters hung. I was at the airport on February 23, about to fly to Rostov-on-Don. But our president announced the start of the NWO, and all flights were cancelled. But I will definitely come there with performances.

– Did the residents of the DPR always want to go to Russia?

– We really wanted to. Is always. All those who remained there prayed only that the Donbass would become Russia. They didn’t want to go back to Ukraine. When I asked the old people why you are not leaving, they answered: “Never.” I had only heard of such fortitude before! I think we have no options. Everything must end only with our victory. And I’m pretty sure she will. Yes, long. But we do not fight on the sly, as they do. Zakharchenko, Givi, Motorola – they were all not killed on the battlefield. Namely, under the hood.

– Why do you think Zelensky is not negotiating?

What can he even talk about? I don’t even consider him a president. It seems to me that he himself is not happy that he got involved in this. Sometimes you look at him and think: “You yourself are in shock, where did you get yourself as an artist.”

He has no way out now. If he does something wrong, he will simply be killed. It’s my opinion. That’s why he’s high all the time, because the sober one is afraid to realize what he’s done.