The 18-year-olds from Pskov in Russia remember what their father was like just a few months ago. They show the AFP reporter pictures of a smiling man with his right leg in uniform showing a puppy to the camera.
– UNKNOWN: The twin sisters’ father was a completely different man before the war, they say. Photo: AFP
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He would be gone for a few days
This is no longer the case.
Elizaveta and Anastasia Grigorievy say their father went to take part in a joint military exercise with Belarus in January. He was only supposed to be away for a few days.
But it took six months before he got home. The girls claim that their father is now “a broken man”, due to the experiences and impressions he received after being sent to war in Ukraine.
The AFP interviewed the girls in mid-August, but the interview was only released this week.
– PSKOV: This is the city where the girls live. Photo: OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP
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Think more veterans will come back traumatized
– He himself says that being hit will change a man. In addition to seeing several people killed, Elizaveta says.
Both she and her sister believe that their father needs help, but he himself hasn’t looked for anyone who can help deal with the trauma.
Elizaveta believes that many more veterans will return traumatized.
Their father took part in the attack on Kiev at the beginning of the war. It ended with Russia being rejected by northern Ukraine in March of this year.
After the withdrawal of the Russians, violent massacres of Ukrainian civilians were discovered. In the town of Butsha, just north of Kiev, hundreds found in mass graves.
– Butsha: During the Russian occupation of Butsha, hundreds of civilians were killed, apparently just for moving to the street. The dead were placed in mass graves because it was too dangerous to bury them otherwise. Photo: Aage Aune / TV 2
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– War is a crime in itself
Russia denies harming civilians, but Anastasia and Elizaveta wonder if their father may have been involved in some way.
– He says he didn’t kill anyone, says Elizaveta.
– But war is a crime in itself, replies Anastasia.
– Yes, so it is already a crime to support or participate in the war, notes Elizaveta.
– TWIN SISTERS: The sisters say war is a crime. Photo: OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP
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He has been arrested
The sisters were shocked when Putin announced the invasion. At the beginning of March they took to the streets with signs saying: “Peace in Ukraine, freedom in Russia”.
Participation in the demonstrations was low in Pskov and the sisters were immediately arrested. They were threatened with imprisonment but were eventually released with a fine of around NOK 3,000.
He left the battlefield
In May, the 43-year-old father of the twins asked his family to initiate the process necessary to bring him home.
He left the battlefield for health reasons in mid-June and is now in the process of being discharged from the army after around 20 years of service.
– A lot of stress has changed the way he sees the world. He has lost companions, he has seen bodies everywhere, says Elizaveta.
A new law introduced in Russia can lead to prison sentences if you talk publicly about your experiences in Ukraine.
– ARRESTED: The girls were previously arrested for demonstrating on the street Photo: OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP
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– We love our father
According to the girls, the father talks to the family about what he has experienced and sometimes becomes aggressive. They say he doesn’t seek psychological help.
The girls moved from home last month after the situation became unbearable. However, they don’t want to break ties with the family.
– We love our father. We will not reject our own family, says Elizaveta.
– AGGRESSIVE: The girls say they have moved away from home, but they will always love their father. Photo: AFP
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On opposite sides
Although they are happy with their father, they are also engaged in politics. They are not afraid of being imprisoned and admire the strength of the Ukrainians.
Elizaveta relates what her father once told her:
– I’m a soldier, you go to opposition meetings. Do you understand that sooner or later a situation will arise where you will be on the other side and I will point a gun at you?
Elizaveta does not hide that this was a brutal message to receive from her father, but she is resolute and does not allow herself to be intimidated:
– We are liberals. We criticize the government. We need to build democracy here at home, says Elizaveta.
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