Yaroslav Zhilkin, 43 years. The head of a humanitarian mission for dead soldiers "Black Tulip". While working in the area of the ATO organization has found 640 tel.

About this on his page in Facebook wrote the Cyborgs-2015 - art project about the heroes of our time.

Assistance military Yaroslav Zhilkin and his associates offered after Ilovaisky boiler.

– Hearing how many soldiers were killed and burned at the exit, realized that can help with the search for bodies, - says Yaroslav. - The experience we have for many years searched for the missing soldiers of world war II. In the end we were allowed to work in those places. For a month and a half we found more than 150 dead bodies in the boiler. There are about forty volunteers. We leave in turn. Had to work under the gun machines. But we were unarmed. And always explain to the combatants: if we can find a body with the insignia of your fighter, just give up. Not once so already was.

- In the ATO zone remember?

- I personally led the first group of search engines - went on Saur-the Grave. The first day we found about 12 people. Since I work out almost every day. It happens that we make a forced break in the search: broken transport, bad weather conditions. Also when was miner's day, we were warned that it is better not to go. But mostly, we are constantly in the field.

Yaroslav frequently in the Donetsk region. He managed to get permission to get into the so-called grey zone, which is now the territory of Donetsk airport.

– Many soldiers who fought there, saying that not all of the fallen brothers managed to take, and under blockages of the new and old terminals like there is still bodies of Ukrainian "cyborgs", – says Yaroslav Zhilkin. – So with March, once declared a truce, we started looking for an opportunity to get to the airport. Came on Board for the return of the dead bodies, organized with the parties. Spoke with her head Lily Rodionova. Three weeks ago we were allowed to come to Donetsk. To the ruins we were accompanied by OSCE staff, representatives of the so-called DPR and journalists. We found fragments of three bodies. In the first place came to our tank, which remained at the edge of the runway. Fighters of calculation said that inside were wounded mechanic. We carefully examined the tank remains in it. Even the ammunition remained intact. It can be assumed that the soldier climbed out of the tank and crawled to the grass on the roadside. Now there are real bushes, which comes dangerous they can be and stretching, and unexploded shells, whatever... While there, we felt a specific smell. But on the route leading to the radar station (radar), found the balance of the lower limbs and fragments of the spine. They were close to our armored car that burned. At the airport we gave the militants the head and the foot in the tibia... All of it handed for examination.

In General, there is a huge area that requires a thorough combing. Some solid debris! To disassemble and remove the bodies necessary to conduct laborious work. But it should be done. Parents need to know what happened to their children where they died, to mourn them and bury the remains. It is very important for every family.

In the Kiev Yaroslav wall hung Cabinet cards. One big Ukrainian. The rest is very detailed those settlements, where people were looking for. Yellow circles indicate locations of burial sites found. "Here, near Saur-Grave was a mass grave. Find six phone Near Stepanovka find a fighter in the tank as well," Yaroslav.

– You have to open graves, transfers the decomposed bodies. With your group after expeditions psychologists?

- Guys like these guys, don't complain about anything. And that's the problem. One of the searchers had literally to force a course of psychorehabilitation. More than half a year ago our group an hour and a half was on the runway of Donetsk airport, near the "Spartak" under heavy enemy fire. The guys came to pick up the bodies, which lay in the neutral zone for several months. Searchers were dressed in some form, walked with the flag. One body immediately picked up. Then changed the wheel in our cars there is the darkness of the shards, so a puncture. Drove up to the broken wagon, around which were scattered the ammunition. Decided how to get around without driving into the grass, where they could stand stretching or collapsing mines, as suddenly five meters tripped a grenade. Then over the heads began to whistle, and bullets, and mines... And there are no grooves no. Had to pin yourself into the ground. Shot not on target, and to scare. I called the elder of the group as time went on the fire. He spoke to me in a choked voice, dropped the phone. I asked him to hold a roll call to make sure everything is alive and whole. Advised talk to each other and to remind you not to panic, to rise, in any case not to run... Thank God, everything came out intact. Only in our truck, found two holes. But since do agree with both parties directly, to know who is in command of the escorts. Now we go only accompanied by representatives of the OSCE and the red cross.

- After the incident, someone refused to go after the lost?

Nobody. All continue to work. A few weeks came to his senses, and then again went into the zone ATO. I remembered well the advice of experienced psychologist, with whom we communicated. He said: "the Main principle in your work - to step back, not to think about that before you people who were recently alive. No matter how cynical it sounds, but ship the body as if it was sacks of potatoes. Substitute each other more often. Sing songs, tell jokes". All of this really works. As a beginner to check, you need to immediately throw at the most difficult part of the work. For example, ask to jump in the excavated hole with half-decayed bodies, and submit them to the top. If a person does not lose consciousness, feeling the smell, continues to do all that is needed, then, was the pinnacle of horror. The barrier is broken.

- Sometimes I ask myself: what makes you travel to dangerous places, wandering through fields strewn with splinters and shells? - Yaroslav continues. Then I remember the words that we are often told the soldiers: you are heroes, because no one but your group did not agree to do it. It mobilized. Yes, we don't revive dead guys. But will restore the memory of them.

- How do you find the burial ground?

- Sometimes they just feel. This does not teach. Being on the ground, analyse the events taking place here, watch the position. Many sleeves? So there was a fight. Under Debaltsevo fit to the tank. By accumulating the hull can be seen: had a pair of hits. While the tank remained intact. And the ammunition in it are preserved. Inside does not climb - are stretching. Carefully inspect all around. If someone was injured and carried, be sure to leave marks that can be seen: the scraps of bandages, torn dressing package. Then get accustomed to the bumps. One is black? As a rule, this suggests that someone around here buried. Near Ilovaysk was very disappointed by the fact that constantly changing wind. That's kind of smell of death, smell the rafts, and in a second it is not clear where it was brought...

One of the groups of the mission have found a body of a legendary soldier Temur Yuldashev.

- We were given guidance where to dig, says the search engine. Suddenly the rain started. And there, under the transfer, the land soak instantly, you will stick to it - not get out. So we had to leave. And then a tractor pulled machine. Returned the next day. Have dokopalis pit, but found nothing. I didn't know what to do, when we ran over a Dachshund. Then there are a lot of abandoned dogs. Here it is under our feet began to dig the earth. We looked at her and in one voice said, "let's dig"... And then the burial. Still regret that did not take the dog with you, not tamed. Would be assistant.

- Fighters carry you too help?

- Pass all the required prisoners in Donetsk "the hut" - the so-called SBU building, which contains our guys. I was on the inside. Send to me a list of what you need. I and collect. In the Donetsk region we have formed own base. Each of us travels at our own expense, volunteer mission. Those who work at private enterprises, go forward, go on trips. Civil servants more difficult. We have a search engine that has already "celebrated" a holiday for the next two years. I have several sources of income, the restaurant business, lease premises. Most of the profits spent on buying required for expeditions. But over the past two years revenues have dropped significantly. You have to seek the help of ordinary people. We need to serve special refrigeration machines for the bodies, to secure communication systems, devices for searching, costumes, masks...

- Where else, on your assumptions, remain the bodies of our dead soldiers?

In Zelenopole, in places where was the so-called Dolzhansky boiler. Haven't really researched places in the so-called LNB. These are Colored Sands, Metalist, Lugansk airport. Here we have only to start searching for victims.

- Knows the exact number of missing?

- At the moment is called the figure of 840. But I know that in the Dnepropetrovsk morgue now 719 bodies were not identified. How many from the list missing in the number of these unidentified - not known. More than a hundred fighters just need to look for. Even if there are all but one, we will continue to work. Only now is created the joint centre for data on prisoners and missing. To do this, gather together the data of the Ministry of defence, security Service and Ministry of internal Affairs.

19 September 2015 the head of the humanitarian mission "Black Tulip" Yaroslav Zhilkin awarded the order "national Hero of Ukraine".

Violetta kirtoka of the Newspaper "the FACTS"

photo by Roman Nikolayev

Source: «Кіборги - 2015» / Cyborgs - 2015

МБФ "СЛАВА УКРАЇНІ" / ICF "GLORY TO UKRAINE" / FIB "GLOIRE À L'UKRAINE"