Before the war, Marina Davydova was a journalist in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. In March last year, a few weeks after Russia’s regular attack on Ukraine began, she traded her journalistic pen for a machine gun. Now he describes himself as “Davidov’s terrible soldier.” – My “girlish” joys are that after my training, a soldier can put on a tourniquet and only remains wounded, he does not become one of those “on the shield”, that is, he does not die – he says in an interview with the Niezalezna.pl portal.
UKRAINIAN VERSION / Українська версія
We’ve known each other for a long time as fellow journalists… When and how did you decide to take up arms?
I can’t say it was a capital “D” decision. It all came down to this. The last year before the Great War was quite turbulent and my husband and I didn’t even discuss the fact that someone goes to the army and someone stays. We both had “assembly points” where we planned to go when “hour X” came. So long before I knew I was going to be in the military.
I can’t say it was a capital “D” decision. It all came down to this. The last year before the Great War was quite turbulent and my husband and I didn’t even discuss the fact that someone goes to the army and someone stays. We both had “assembly points” where we planned to go when “hour X” came. So long before I knew I was going to be in the military.
I was very lucky to be assigned to this unit with such command.
I was allowed to fulfill my strong desire to master tactical medicine. I was given the opportunity to complete the necessary training to raise my knowledge and now I am training personnel in tactical medicine. My husband is a paramedic with a lot of experience, I know how much he invests in training his guys, and I want mine to be as good as possible.
Are you the only girl in your unit? How is the life of the individual and your life in general, considering that you are a woman?
I’m not the only girl, but there are actually very few of us, less than 1 percent. to the battalion. And soldiers are part of a larger organism, which is the army.
We move, there are places more fit for life or less – but we are on foot, we live not where we are comfortable, but where we need to.
When technical water is scarce, a dry shower helps a lot [produkty takie jak tzw. suchy szampon, chusteczki higieniczne czy specjalne pianki czy żele do ciała – przyp. Niezalezna.pl]. We bow low for him not only to the volunteers. It allows you to bathe almost completely, using only half a glass of water, once a day or once every two days. However, you won’t be able to wash your head with it, but you can braid dreadlocks – and the problem is solved. I braided them last fall and I feel great washing my hair once a month. In general, the issue of hygiene in the army is quite a relative matter, very different from life in the city. If you don’t stink to your neighbors and don’t stick to your clothes, you’re relatively clean. You’d be surprised if I told you how long a sock is considered not to need changing. I would prefer not to hurt readers with these details.
What are your ways to relax?
I sleep. In general, washing yourself (even under a dry shower), putting on clean clothes and sleeping in clean sheets – is a great pleasure, in civilian life it is harder to appreciate it.
What do girls console themselves with in the army?
This reminds me of the fairy tale that “ordinary female happiness is that her husband does not beat her, that she did not die in childbirth and still has a new handbag.” What ‘girly joys’, c’mon? My “girlish” joys consist in the fact that after my training, a soldier can put on a tourniquet and only remains wounded, he does not become one of those “on the shield”, i.e. he does not die.
You and your husband serve in the same unit. What’s it like being in the army together?
Oh, a question that has been asked hundreds of times. No, we serve separately. It was a conscious choice and we had the opportunity to do it together. We did not use this opportunity on purpose.
There are several reasons for this, and none of them is related to love. I love and respect my husband very much, but he and I are quite impulsive people and we are quite young, so serving in the same unit would: a) make us both nervous; b) would annoy the entire battalion; (c) could negatively affect the quality of the service. I don’t know if we’ll kill each other when we get back, but it’s definitely not worth doing while on duty, as it will weaken the combat effectiveness of the unit. And I am glad that my husband understands this and supports this position with both hands. Maybe these are the joys of a girl – knowing that someone understands and supports you?
For you, Ukraine’s victory is…?
Back to national borders (what we now call “1991 borders”) – this will be the end of my mission as soldiers. And then, of course, the court, reparations, etc. – but I hope that they will somehow do it without our participation. I want a home, a family and, if possible, one person to enlarge this family – a daughter. This will be my victory.
Interviewer – Volodymyr Buha.
Translation – Olga Alehno.
Source: niezalezna.pl
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