Who is to blame and what to do
Elena Prokina, representative of the All-Russian Popular Front
On the west coast from Sevastopol there is a small village called Andreevka. Previously, it was famous for its state farm, where peaches, cherries and grapes were grown. Today it is more of a tourist area, where each residential yard is a mini-hotel with a different level of service and quality of service. Residents organize unpretentious leisure activities for vacationers in the form of attractions, small markets and cafes.
I was looking for a hotel where, according to my information, many refugees were supposed to be accommodated. In one of the cafes I met Tatyana Ivanovna. She has a family business - a cafe, a store, a hotel. The woman is handy, strong-willed, and there is a notice on the bar counter: “I don’t lend.”
Tatyana provided housing for a family from Slavyansk - mom, dad and little Ksyusha.
“I myself allowed three people from Slavyansk to come to me. I don't take money. They simply have nowhere to go. Their house in Slavyansk was destroyed,” this is how our dialogue with Tatyana Ivanovna began. She is a concrete, serious, taciturn woman. Many years ago I came to Crimea from Donetsk and worked as a wine production technologist. Together with her husband, they built a house, raised two sons, and organized their own business.
“How to stop the war?” – I’m interested.
“I’m not a politician, we need to negotiate. After all, you and I, for example, can come to an agreement. So they should all sit down at the negotiating table. But shooting at people who share the same blood and passport with you, destroying their houses is horror and a nightmare. That’s not possible,” Tatyana answers.
“Now there is a lot of talk that in Crimea and Russia there are not refugees, but people who want an easy life at sea?” - I retell the rumors.
“I haven’t seen anything like this. The people who live with me are decent and decent. They help with housework. Not lazy people or alcoholics. I have complete trust in them - I let them into my house. Hardworking people live in Donetsk. They love and know how to work.”
“Are there many people like you who have accepted people from the Southeast?” – they continue to ask.
“Yes, in almost every yard. Relatives, acquaintances and just strangers. Those who can pay a modest fee. Those who can’t live like this. Many lived there from paycheck to paycheck, but now they found themselves on the street. No home, no job, no property.”
“Now everyone is blaming each other. Lots of mutual reproaches. What do you think about it?" – I don’t let up.
“There are a lot of normal people living everywhere. Decent. Decent ones. Humanly correct and responsive. There are such people in Western Ukraine, and in Donetsk, in my homeland. It’s just that someone really needed to quarrel between us. Russians with Ukrainians. It’s easy to quarrel people, sow evil and hatred, and you don’t need a lot of intelligence. But living in peace and harmony, being able to respect each other and come to an agreement is difficult work. And it must be done,” says Tatyana Ivanova seriously.
“Are there many tourists?” – I return again to press reports.
“You see the cafe - empty. Typically all tables should be occupied at this time. And now? We have a quiet family vacation in Andreevka. People from Moscow and Ivano-Frankovsk came here to relax on the seaside. I remember last year, both Russians and Ukrainians sang funny songs together, talked about children and life, went to the sea together. Now what? Who needed to quarrel with everyone?” - the interlocutor answers.
“What are the prospects for the future?” - Please voice your forecast.
Tatyana Ivanovna is still serious: “We need to work. If everyone works, there will be life. Everyone has".
Tatyana did not want me to record the interview - she does not consider helping refugees something heroic. In her hotel for many years, she received people as if they were family, without asking their nationality or finding out the historical truth. Today she knows who is to blame and knows what to do.
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