story XIII
It was the first meeting of the heads of communities in Sumy and Lviv regions in the spring of 22, when the first invasion of the Moscow horde was repelled and Sumy region was deoccupied...
The idea of creating sister communities in western and eastern Ukraine emerged, and community leaders gathered in the charming city of Stryi...
The first joint banquet where they sat opposite each other. The heads of communities in Sumy region, who for the first time after the horrors, the first months of war, the organization of resistance to the occupiers, destruction, and deaths, escaped into another, peaceful reality, relaxed, and even tried to joke...
Lviv farmers, whose loved ones had died on the front lines of the war, viewed these “easterners” with suspicion and caution, with their seemingly clumsy jokes and mixed language.
The head of the Sumy region border community took the floor and began to talk about what the Sumy region had gone through, about the heroic resistance to the occupiers, about how unity is our strength, but the atmosphere of mistrust did not subside...
Suddenly, his phone rang, he answered it... the phone rang again and again...
– Friends, excuse me, the military is calling, by the way, the commander of the Lviv brigade, which is on the border of Sumy region in our community...
“What?” he asked, turning on the loudspeaker. “A Russian helicopter has struck our positions, and the forest belt where our soldiers are stationed is on fire,” came the concerned voice of the soldier.
– So call the emergency services, the fire department...
– They won't go, Mr. Mykola, it's a combat zone... maybe your tractor drivers...
The head of the community called
– Igor, what are you doing…?
– It's planting season, let's get to work...
– Throw it, get the guys, the water barrels, help the military put out the fire.
He continued his story, but literally a few minutes later he was interrupted again by the commander of the Lviv detachment...
– What else?
– Mr. Mykola, an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group on armored vehicles has entered the village...
– You are military personnel, so eliminate them.
– How can I give the order to fire on the village? That requires the approval of almost the entire Supreme Command... Maybe your tractor drivers...?
– So, we put out the fire, let's go plow...!
– Igor, what are you doing?
– Go, take the boys, take the weapons, help the military…!
The community leader hung up the phone.
Where did I leave off?
There was a long pause! The Lviv farmers looked at these amazing “easterners” with their farmers-warriors with different eyes... the ice of mistrust melted...
We talked about unity for a common victory, he replied.
the eldest of them, raised his glass...
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes! Together to victory!
