Former Mariupol midfielder Rodion Plaksa, who now plays for Oleksandriya, spoke about the horrors he experienced when the full-scale invasion of Mariupol began.
Rodion Plaksa. Photo - fcmariupol.com- In a recent match against Metalist 1925, after scoring a goal, you showed the camera your shields with a call to bring back the heroes of Azov from captivity. Tell us about this action.
- I made these shields before the start of the season and was waiting for a chance to show them off. I want the community not to forget that our defenders, who were in Mariupol at Azovstal and defended us at the cost of their lives, are captured by the enemy and need to be brought home. Now, unfortunately, they have been forgotten.
My relative, my sister's husband, is in captivity. He is in the 23rd Maritime Security Detachment and from the first days of the full-scale invasion he defended Mariupol and worked at Azovstal. He is a hero to me, just like other defenders. That's why this campaign was dedicated to him as well.
- Do you have any contact with him now, do you know where he is, is he on the exchange list?
- Unfortunately, no. We know nothing about him, only that he is in captivity.
- You saw the beginning of the full-scale invasion in Mariupol. Could you tell us what it was like?
- I was playing for Mariupol U-19 at the time and on 23 February I was at the base. The next day we had to go to Odesa for a game with Chornomorets. At 4 am, my sister called me and told me to come to her immediately, the war had started. I couldn't understand what was happening. I went outside, everything was calm, no cars or explosions were heard.
The first wake-up call was that I couldn't call a taxi for a long time, but I managed to do it and came to my sister. We decided that we would not go anywhere and would stay in Mariupol. We thought that the war would end quickly and that the fighting would take place somewhere in the fields and the city would not be affected. How wrong we were!
At about 9 am we heard the first explosions. The windows in the apartment started shaking. But we decided to stay anyway, because we were afraid to leave. We didn't know where to go and were afraid to come under fire.
- When did the communications go out?
- After about 6-7 days, the power went out, then the heating and gas went off. It became cold at home. My sister's son, my nephew, was only four years old and we were very worried about him, trying to dress him as warmly as possible. We started running out of food.
- Did you have any food supplies?
- My sister had some meat. In the first days, we bought milk that can be kept for a long time, cereals, eggs. We had enough food for about two weeks. Then our neighbours started to share with us, and we gave them something. In short, we helped each other.
- Where did you get water?
- We took water from springs, and for domestic needs we could melt snow. The journey to fetch water was terrifying and took about 40 minutes one way. Russian fighter jets were flying overhead and it was unclear where they could drop bombs, and at the same time Grad was working. You're walking with jugs of water and you see thick black smoke. It was scary.
- Did you have any contact with the Russian military in Mariupol?
- I first saw Russians when we were leaving Mariupol. Before that, I had crossed paths with our military and police, who helped us with food and water. The policemen told us what was happening in the city and said that it was better to stay in Mariupol because the Russians could shoot the cars as they were leaving.
- In early March, the press started to report that you had lost contact with us. Who was looking for you?
- On 5 March, we lost contact in Mariupol. My girlfriend started looking for me and was the first to post this post on social media.
- Where was your girlfriend?
- My girlfriend lived in Vuhledar, where I am from, and left there for Khmelnytskyi a week after the invasion started.
- When did you realise it was time to leave?
- Our neighbourhood was heavily shelled, we were running out of food, and somewhere in the 20s of March we took the risk of leaving Mariupol.
- What is the most frightening moment you can remember in Mariupol?
- There were two of them. The first one was when you were sleeping and at 3-4 am planes started flying overhead and artillery started firing. Every day you realise that the fighting is getting closer and closer to your home.
The second moment happened at the first Russian checkpoint, when we were leaving Mariupol with my sister and nephew. The occupiers started asking me why I didn't have a car registration certificate. I told them that I had lost the documents because the car was not ours, it was given to us by a neighbour, and I forgot to leave the registration certificate.
The Russians stood around me and forced me to strip down to my underwear, looking for tattoos. Then they started going through my bags, checking my phone and psychologically pressuring me: "We're going to take the car away and you'll have to walk." But I was already resigned and ready for anything.
- Did they find anything on your phone?
- They saw a photo of me wearing a military helmet that belonged to my sister's husband and started questioning me about how I got it. My sister and I made up a story that we had found it and were just taking a picture as a souvenir. The Russians believed us and let us through.
- Where did you go from Mariupol?
- To Berdiansk, which was also occupied. We stayed there for a little over a month. We were taken in by complete strangers who treated us very well. They didn't want to let us go and said: "Stay here, a little longer and the Ukrainian Armed Forces will liberate us". I can say for sure that no one in Berdiansk was waiting for Russia. Every day, everyone hoped that Ukraine would be here soon.
- If no one was waiting for the Russians in Berdiansk, what was it like in Mariupol?
- Some people were for Russia, but it was a minority, mostly elderly people. I think in the Donetsk region, about 20% of residents were waiting for the Russians to come.
- How did you leave Berdiansk for the government-controlled territory?
- We went to Zaporizhzhia by bus. I left my car in Berdiansk because I was afraid that the Russians might not let me out because I didn't have a technical passport. I was the only man on the bus, and the occupiers checked me mostly, but not as harshly as when I left Mariupol. However, at one checkpoint, the orcs wanted to take my bumpers, but it helped that the size did not suit them.
- How did you feel when you were on the territory controlled by Ukraine?
- It was an incredible feeling. The anxiety, constant fear and worries disappeared. There was a spirit of freedom all around.
- When you were in Mariupol, did the club help you in any way, perhaps offering to evacuate?
- No, the management did not contact anyone from the youth team and no one helped us. The Mariupol U-19 players were in the dormitory during the invasion and, as far as I know, only the team's coach Gribanov took care of them. Most of the U-19 players left Mariupol on their own, some were taken out by Yaroshenko, who is now the manager of FSC Mariupol.
- Were there any employees in Mariupol who supported Russia?
- We had a masseur in the U-19. After the war started, I saw him at the base and he said: "How could Russia do this and attack us? I'm in shock". After a while, I looked at him and he was already acting in the occupiers' propaganda videos and supporting the war. Now he lives in Russia, he does massage, but not at a football club. I don't know his surname, only his patronymic - Leonidovich.
- Were there any traitors among the players?
- Yes, there was Nikita Fursenko, with whom I used to communicate well. He was also in Mariupol at the beginning of the war and saw perfectly well how the Russians invaded our land. But then he went to Russia and started telling me that it was Azov that was shooting at civilians. I was shocked by his words, I told him: "What are you talking about?!".
We had a fight and I blocked him everywhere and deleted him from my friends. I don't know how his fate turned out and where he is now, I don't care. I don't want to know such people. Maybe he thinks that he has more prospects in football in the swamps, but I know for sure that there are no prospects there.
- When you moved to the government-controlled territory, did Mariupol contact you?
- The management didn't call, I only spoke to doctors, administrators and U-19 coaches - Oberemko and Gribanov. I still keep in touch with them to this day. After leaving Mariupol, I started looking for ways to continue my career.
- What is happening now in your hometown, Vuhledar?
- From the first day, the occupiers have been shelling the city with everything they can. However, our defenders have been keeping Vuhledar under control since 24 February and have found the strength to conduct counter-offensive operations. Unfortunately, there is almost nothing left of the town now.
- Are there any civilians living there today?
- About 50 people live in basements.
- What happened to your house in Vuhledar?
- I saw on the video that my house was damaged by a fire, and today it may have been destroyed. It's hard to be without a home. It's my holiday, and I don't even know where to go.
Andriy Piskun
