The Forgotten (1)

English

By Mark Bartalmai on 6. März 2016 • ( 1 Kommentar )

 

Lilija is 9 years old. She lives with her mother and her 4 younger siblings in her grandmother’s house near Mariinka (suburb west of Donetsk) in the shadow of a large slag heap, behind the front is. Their own home no longer exists. It was destroyed by Ukrainian artillery – in an area in which, according to the inhabitants, never were any military objects and not even now are.

Lilija, 9 years from Donetsk

We actually found absolutely nothing like that on the spot, neither current nor possibly remnants of old military positions. It is a pure civilian residential area.

On February 29, 2016 Lilijas mother was injured on this road in the settlement at a Ukrainian missile attack. There were and are no any military targets.

From the shelling they hide in the basement, Lilija shows to us. On February 29, 2016, however, it would have been almost too late for the mother of 5 children. On the road, she was surprised and hurt by impacting missiles. Seeking cover again and again, she made it home, and only then noticed when taking off the jacket that she was hit by shrapnels. The blood ran out of her sleeve. However, the splitter scratched only, so that the injury was only slight. After a quick surgery in the hospital she could return home.

Am 29. Februar 2016 wurde Lilijas Mutter bei einem ukrainischen Raketenangriff auf die Siedlung verletzt. Es gab und gibt dort keine militärischen Ziele. / On February 29, 2016 Lilijas mother was injured in a Ukrainian rocket attack on the settlement. There were and are there no any military targets.

Lilija lebt mit ihrer Mutter und ihren Geschwistern bei ihrer Großmutter nahe der Front in Donezk. Ihr eigenes Haus wurde bereits zerstört. / Lilija lives with her mother and her siblings with her grandmother near the front in Donetsk. Their own house was destroyed.

Lilija zeigt uns den Keller, in dem sie sich bei Angriffen verstecken. / Lilija shows us the basement where they are hiding during attacks.

Der Keller ist Lilijas Zufluchtsort mit ihrer Familie, wenn der Beschuss einsetzt. Nur eine Abraumhalde trennt sie von der Frontlinie. / The basement is Lilijas refuge with her family when the shelling starts. Only a slag heap separates them from the frontline.

Lilijas kleine Schwester Julia (3 Jahre) / Lilija’s younger sister Julia (3 years)

Zwei der jüngeren Brüder von Lilija. / Two of the younger brothers of Lilija.

Lilija ist außerordentlich begabt. Und sie hat echt Stil. / Lilija is really talented and she has style.

Lilija möchte Lehrerin werden. / Lilija wants to become a teacher.

The mine, in which people have been working in the area is destroyed by bombs. The family receives 3,000 rubles (about 37.50 EUR) as support for the children. The humanitarian aid that was brought to them, comes from donations from Germany.

The father at the beginning of the war fled to Russia. That was almost 2 years ago. Since then they have not heard from him. Even those things happen there and it is not a unique case.

Lilija wants to become a teacher. And she sang for us. A Song for her Mama. We will hear Lilija singing in the movie.

Lilija and her family are among the „forgotten“ of the crises and wars in this world. Because they play no role in the media.
Because civilians and civilian victims only play a role in the Western media, if they somehow could pin the blame onto Russia. They are only worth a story when they „fit into concept“. Whether in the Donbass, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen …

Kategorien:English, Ukraine