Stories From The War: A Journey To The Past

Sorry to write about the war again. But I write about what we live for now. Consider it a Diary Game.

Despite the fact that the main battles are taking place far enough away from my region, the war continues in my country and we feel it every day and everywhere. It also affects the morale of people. I wanted to write a post about something else, more fun, but so far I'm not capable of it.

I also don't want anyone to think that I want to make money from the war, that I write about the war in order to evoke sympathy and make more money. If you have such suspicions, I will be grateful if you do not support this post.

That's why I don't write often. However, I do not have time to write often.

I want to share with you what has happened to me over the last few days.

Anyone who sometimes reads my posts knows that I work for a company that has several chemical plants. We have reason to believe that these chemical plants are a potential target for rocket fire. Therefore, as soon as the war began and we received the relevant information, all factories were shut down. For the next few days, we worked to make these plants as safe as possible for humans and the environment in case they were fired upon, and to get rid of all hazardous substances, especially chlorine.

In general, we did everything we could.

Then special units were formed to protect chemical plants from sabotage groups, of which there are many in Ukraine. These units include territorial defense fighters and company specialists who are well acquainted with these objects. I was included in one such unit.

Now, together with the territorial defense fighters, I visit various factories every day, check their condition, check the work of checkpoints, look for traces of outside interference, and so on.

Territorial Defense is a unit made up of volunteers who have experience in military service or combat operations. Each of these guys hoped to get to the front and defend their country. But the tasks of territorial defense are somewhat different, such as fighting within the city, work at checkpoints, detection and elimination of sabotage groups, protection of strategic objects in the rear.

Each of the territorial defense fighters has its own unique story. Some fought in eastern Ukraine, some served in special forces, some worked in the police. They all tried to join the army, but because the need for soldiers was limited, they were forced to join the territorial defense unit. But they are waiting for their chance.

An air alert was declared during the next patrol. This time we found ourselves in the middle of the road between the factories, having no idea where the nearest bomb shelter was. We reached the next plant as soon as possible and went in the direction where the staff was moving. So I ended up in a bomb shelter I've never been to before.

It was as if I had fallen into a portal that led me into the past. Once the Soviet Union was constantly preparing for NATO attack. Therefore, each plant had a bomb shelter, and significant funds were allocated for its maintenance. When Ukraine won its independence, everyone believed that there would never be another war, that we were a peaceful country. The bomb shelters were simply abandoned.

Now that there is a need to hide from the shelling, these abandoned bomb shelters have opened. Some of them were flooded, others became a time capsule.

It was in this time capsule that I got. Here I saw a bomb shelter with several rooms. There is a room for cooking, for storing water supplies. There is a room with supply ventilation with air filtration, which can run on electricity, and if there is no electricity, it can be operated manually. There is a large supply of gas masks, old educational literature, medical center. There are even samples of chemical warfare agents.

I wanted to show you all this, but when people saw that I was taking pictures, they were very negative about it. They are good, such times. That's why I managed to take only a few photos.

There was something like a radio station in one of the rooms. There was a telephone, as well as wired radio. Such equipment can be seen only in the museum.

Of course, everything I've listed is no longer usable. Many years have passed. Even water storage tanks have holes and are full of rust.

If God allows us to survive this war, I am confident that in the coming years the bomb shelters will be maintained in good condition. For a while...