Buried his wife in the shed and set off into the unknown. A chilling story of the last resident of the frontline village in Donetsk region.


70-year-old Hennadiy Shchipakin left the village of Kalynove in Donetsk region after the death of his wife, who was blown up by an explosive device. Apart from the couple, all other residents evacuated from the village. There is no communication with other people. This was reported by the project "Donbas Realities".
Hennadiy and Nataliia once lived in Donetsk but bought a house in Kalynove to spend their old age in peace.
In 2014, all residents of Kalynove left the village, but Hennadiy and Nataliia decided to stay. People tried to convince them to leave the village with them, but the wife was categorically against it.
One day, when they were leaving the village, their dog stepped on a landmine, injuring Nataliia. She died two days later. Due to the lack of people and communication, no one could provide her with help.
Hennadiy buried his wife in the shed and set off on foot to the neighboring village of Zorya. Thanks to concerned people, he was evacuated to Druzhkivka and then to Kyiv, where he met his son. They made a plan on how to find their mother’s burial place after the war and hold the funeral.
In Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk, all children were evacuated. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk regional military administration. In Sumy region, mandatory evacuation was also announced from several villages.
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