"You should find a boevich and become his mistress. He'll help you to find your son. Because there is nobody to help you without any benefit . Why should I?" - said one colonel from commission on search of prisoners of war. "We should investigate how your son was captured. If he was out of conscience it is one pair of shoes if he decided to be captured on his own will it is another one…", - announced an investigator of Procurator's office. At the same time her son was being tortured by terrorists.
Yevgeny Rodionov was captured on Feb 13, 1996 together with his friends - soldiers of frontier guard. Border post where Yevgeny served was situated not far from populated point in Ingushetia.. There was a filter post near a road: four soldiers were due to check all cars. There was neither a barrier nor defensive constructions near that post only a field and it goes without saying a road. Main camp was situated 200 meters from "post". Under peaceful conditions there is nothing special. But under military conditions it is madness. In one car passing by the filter post there was a brigade Chechen general Ruslan Khaikhoroev with his guard. Certainly they were going neither to give papers nor to surrender to the Russian. And when four Russian nineteen years old fellows tried not to allow them infiltrate to Ingushetia they were beaten and taken to Chechnya. Only after several hours Russian officers discovered that soldiers had disappeared. But they decided not to report about it to their commanders understanding that they were to blame. In three days Lubov Rodionova received a telegram: " We do not know where your son is now…" After that another telegram was sent to her: "Your son left military unit on his own authority and took a gun. If you learn something about him inform us." At the same time military procurator's office raised a criminal case against three soldiers. Police officers looked for a "deserter" in a flat of his mother. When they went away soldier's mother was told that in case of her son appearance she should inform police about it.
Lubov Vasilievna took her thing and… went to Chechnya to look for her son. Can you imagine an American woman walking about Bahdad or for example Prishtina looking for her son soldier? I can't. But during the "first Chechen war" hundreds of Russian women tried to find their lost son themselves.
Commanders of federal troops in Mozdok gave her a paper: " a certain woman is looking for her son in Chechnya. Help her." Date and signature. It was all authorities helped. For 10 months Lubov Vladimirovna roved around Chechnya. She got to know many commanders from both sides. For several weeks she worked as a maid in restaurant for generals in base of federal troops. Then she lived in a camp of Hattab. Then in Russian camp again. Then she went to boevichs… Her searches failed. One local citizen gave her an advice to pay someone. "There is nothing to do in Chechnya without big money" - he cleared. Lubov Vasilievna was affected: how she will take needed money? Or to sell her flat… She had to return home.
Look for a grave at night
Leaving Chechnya she did not know that once she had been hear her son - in village of Alexeevskaya. 7 km from it in their camp terrorists tortured our soldiers. Among them there was a private of frontier guard Yevgeny Rodionov.
In intervals between tortures Chechen rebels proposed Russian soldiers should side with them. But our fighters rejected. Though it was easy to give in: they were to agree to become Mussulmans and join defenders of "independent Ichkeria". It is easy only in pictures to chose either treason or death. - Took away your cross and you'll be our brother - he was offered.
He rejected to do it. It resulted to his death.
When Chechen terrorists got convinced they had failed to make our soldier become a traitor bandits decided to cut off his head. Yevgeny was still alive when bandit began to cut his throat. It is ancient wild custom - enemy should be beheaded otherwise he will follow you.
Lubov Vasilievna knew nothing about it. She put in pledge her own flat. But when she came back to Chechnya it was too late. Yevgeny and three his friends soldiers lay dead in a crater from a bomb.
One "kind" man agreed to show her a grave of her son for $4 thousand. Taking into consideration that there were other three soldiers besides Yevgeny he receive $1 thousand for each of them. Under Chechen conditions it is not expensive. That man pointed out a place. " You can look for your son there. But you can take his body only at night" - he warned.
Commission on search of military men gave her a lorry and two soldiers. They went at night as promised. What happened after that Lubov Vasilievna hardly remembers. Night , dirt she was standing at the edge of the crater. Russian soldiers lie dead.
She did not find a head of her son. Lubov Valilievna had to return to Chechnya from Rostov again (there was medical laboratory that is engeged in recognizing of dead soldiers.) and to apply to the mediator: " You got money so give me my son's head back". He went and returned with a skull. Rodionova took her son's head to Rostov in usual carriage.
Father of Yevgeny Rodionov dead four days after funereal of her son. He had a heart struck. How could a woman live after it?
After his death private Rodionov turned from a traitor into a hero. He was rewarded an order of Courage. The mother was told: thank you for your son. After that as usual they were not interested in fate of soldier's mother.
Only Orthodox church cared about her. Priests helped her to collect money and buy back a flat where Lubov Vasilievna lived together with her son before.
- I think my son perished not only for faith but also for Faterland, - says Lubov Vasilievna, - and to tell the truth God forbid my son to behave himself differently. Certainly I would have forgiven him but every time in my soul I thought: my son was a traitor.
It is no time to cry
Then she saw soldiers who in contrast to her son chose life. Beaten and raped they obeyed bandits and shot their friends. "It is happiness that my son perished like a hero", - thought Lubov Vasilievna.
Since then in Chechnya she have had a place sacred for her - suburbs of village of Bamut, land covered by blood of her son. Lubov Rodionova often visits this place. All in all she met a murderer of her son - Ruslan Khaikhoroev. " You are a brave woman. I respect you, " he said. He presented her with … videocassette on which execution of her son was recorded.
When the "second Chechen war" began Lubov Vasilievna spent all time watching TV: places shown were familiar to her. She saw news and thought about something. "They have no gloves. They are cold there"- an idea came to her when she saw artillerists taking shells with naked hands.
Lubov Vasilievna addressed to churches, local authorities and ordinary people: help if you can. In such a way she collected humanitarian help. She brought it to Chechnya. "At first I became angry with anyone. But then I understood that I shouldn't look for people accused. My son perished in Chechnya for all of us defending me my friends relatives. It is no time to cry now it is time to help."
Ordinary people help her to live. Recently she received a letter written by soldiers from frontier guard in Nazran: " All border post recollects you every day. You became our mother - mother of border post". After such letters Lubov Vasilievna revives again. Because any person lives really until he is needed for someone.
Vladislav KULIKOV