“The most valuable items are letters to the front”
An exhibit about ATO has been launched in Volyn
The exhibit is called “Antiterrorist operation: spring-summer 2014” and is operating at Kovel Museum of History. It displays things that were gathered in the battle fields, because the participants of the search unit “Revival” and employees of the state company “Volyn Antiquities” have been in the ATO area. The head of the search unit is lieutenant-colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, paratrooper Vadym Dorofieienko who has held many expeditions in Volyn. He remained an archeologist and searcher at the war, as well as the director of “Volyn Antiquities” Oleksii Zlatohorsky who has been taking armored vests and other protection means to his employees, mobilized to the war.
The battle flags of 299 Brigade of Tank Aviation of the National Guard of Ukraine and 4th airmobile parachute-landing company of 95th Airmobile Brigade “Bears,” a flag of the 2nd airmobile parachute-landing battalion of a reconnaissance platoon, chevrons. The visitors will as well see the attributes of terrorist organizations DNR and LNR (flags, propaganda materials, maps, a vase full of metal items which didn’t detonate). There are many fragments of modern weapons (light anti-tank rocket launcher Mukha, man-portable air defense system “Igla,” cassette of a shell of multiple artillery rocket system “Smerch,” Kalashnikov machine gun, self-made mortar, military equipment, like helms and bullet-proof vests).
A light ray amidst the horrors of the war are colored letters of gratitude and support to the servicemen of the Ukrainian army from all over Ukraine and from abroad, the drawings the military in the ATO area received from children. “The most valuable items are the letters to the front,” says Oleksii Zlatohorsky, “I was crying when I was reading them, because they are so sincere and full of hope for our victory and love for Ukraine.” Vadym Dorofieienko adds that the servicemen read these letters tens of times when they were in encirclement in Kramatorsk.
The exhibit is only the first chapter in the chronology of depiction of the events in the east of Ukraine with the help of exhibit items. The next chapter, “Warriors of the Light” will be dedicated to Kovel residents – ATO participants.
