‘We’re bombed all night’
Ukrainian-Irish send thanks for support back home
In relative terms, last weekend was “quiet”. It’s not that the bombing of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, stopped entirely but it noticeably lessened compared to the relentless bombardment before. Then on Monday, the artillery barrage ramped up again.
“[We were] bombed all night,” reports Igor Matviiko, a Ukrainian national living in Ballyjamesduff for more than 15 years, who travelled back to his home country to fight the Russian invasion alongside his fellow countrymen.
Father and grandfather, Igor left Ireland on March 3. He flew to Poland and then crossed over into Ukraine by train.
Igor is currently in Kharkiv, a city frozen from a page in history, with bombed-out buildings and desolate streets. It is estimated that more than 500 people have been killed in Kharkiv since Russia first launched its invasion on February 24. Among those who died recently was 96-year-old Holocaust survivor, Boris Romanchenko.
What remains of Kharkiv’s once 1.5 million population now shelter beneath the shattered streets, in makeshift bunkers, or in the gutted out buildings still left standing.
Igor, a former member of the Ukrainian army, moved to Ireland in 2005 and works at Liffey Meats. He is involved in the “evacuation” of those left behind, if they are willing to leave.
In Kharkiv, Igor is the only person among his contingent that travelled to fight in Ukraine from Ireland. One of the few belongings he brought from home is a Castlerahan GFC hat.
He’s aware of others who travelled from Ireland, a dozen or more, but they’ve been posted elsewhere along the frontline. Many are those who answered the Ukrainian government’s call for foreign fighters to join the war effort. It is believed none of the Irishmen who travelled to Ukraine to fight have been killed.
“I left my family and my grandchildren in Ireland, I think they will be proud of me,” affirms Igor, who thanked everyone back home for their support, their wishes for his safe return, and to “everyone for supporting Ukraine”.
He tells The Anglo-Celt in a conversation held on instant messaging: “I will fight to the last until I liberate my homeland, my Ukraine.”
Igor has been assigned to the Azov battalion, a highly motivated band of fighters, with reported links to neo-Nazism.
Formed as a volunteer militia in 2014 to fight Russian separatist forces in the Donbas War, the group was subsequently subsumed and now makes up a tiny fraction of what stands as the National Guard of Ukraine.
When asked about Azov and its alleged ties to neo-Nazism, Igor flatly states “I do not support this.”
Andrew Scheglov is Igor’s son-in-law, married to Al’ona.
He attests to this also, saying that Igor “loves all people”.
He describes his father-in-law as a “very positive and friendly person”, who loves his country dearly and has been deeply wounded at seeing what has happened in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.
“He’s peaceful, but he loves his country, loves his family. Everyone knows him as a very positive and friendly person, helpful and kind.”
Back home Igor has many Russian friends, who are aware of his decision to travel to fight in Ukraine. Andrew says: “I see them almost everyday, and they ask how is he, how is he feeling? Is he okay? They’re just worried about him as well.”
Andrew and Al’ona have two children, the eldest aged seven years. She knows that her granddad Igor is “away” but doesn’t fully understand why. Still, as a family, each night they “pray” for his safe return.
They talk to Igor at least 10 times a day. The first call, text or audio message, sent in the morning, is often the most tense when waiting for a reply. “We ask if he is alright, and what’s happening?”
He answers “of course” when asked by the Celt if his family are frightened for Igor’s well-being.
“I’ve tried twice [to ask him to come home] but I knew already the answer. There is no chance he will come back before the war ends. As he said to me, ‘now, there is no way back unless Ukraine is free.’ He’s going to be there until the end. It doesn’t matter if they lose or win, he’s going to be there until the very, very end.”
Igor’s decision to depart came “quite quick”. His mother and sister are both living under-siege in the south-eastern Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk. “His sister, his mother, and a lot more of the family are living there. It was a hard, but it didn’t take take long. It was a quite quick decision for him to go.”
Andrew reports that Igor has lost several close friends as a direct result of the ongoing war.
But despite the potential peril, Andrew says that his father-in-law is determined, “fully concentrated” on fighting for his country. “He is motivated. He wants to defend his country.”
Andrew says for their family, Igor is a “hero”.
“He is an example for maybe everyone who loves their country and, if something bad is happening, is willing to help and fight for freedom.”
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