You're reading: ‘He wasn’t a volunteer,’ says wife of a Russian officer who died in Donbas

 This is an online conversation between Irina Timina, the wife of a Russian officer who died in the east of Ukraine, and the correspondent of Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper. This shorter version is reprinted with permission.

On Aug. 29 someone
emailed Novaya Gazeta to inform us about the death of Timin Zahar
Vladimirovich, a senior lieutenant of Armed Forces of Russian
Federation, on the territory of eastern Ukraine. The email described
him as “a wonderful man, devoted friend, lovely father and husband.
He deserved to live long happy life.”

Novaya Gazeta found
Timin’s wife, Irina Timina, through social networks and conducted a
virtual interview.

Novaya Gazeta: Is
the information about your husband’s death true?

Irina Timina: Yes,
this is true.

NG: Did your
husband go to Donbas as a professional soldier, not as a volunteer?

IT: Yes, he was a
professional officer. He was not a volunteer. He was following the
orders because he had no choice. You understand that.

NG: We would like
to write a story about your husband. If you do not mind I would like
to meet with you personally.

IT: I am not going
to stay silent. But what kind of a story do you want to write about
him? The last thing I want now is for my husband to be disturbed. And
I am not ready to meet and speak with anybody because I deal with a
great amount of documents and I often go to different cities. The
only thing I can do right now is to answer your questions. You can
publish it.

You know, my
mother-in-law could answer your questions. She is at home right now,
in Bugulma, Tatarstan and probably can give you the interview. She
knows less than me but she knows the matter. Now I just want to get
the payments from the government. If it is immediate the parents
could give the interview. They have nothing to lose and my child
still has to live in this country.

NG: What was the
military base and military rank of your husband? How long he was in
the armed forces?

IT: He served at the
military base number 27777 in Chechnya , recently was promoted to
senior lieutenant. He was a troop commander.

NG: When did you
find out that he is going to Donbas? How did he tell you about that?

IT: He didn`t say
anything about Donbas. My husband is an officer, not a contract
soldier. It`s more serious. Even if the officers know something,
they do not talk. He did not tell me anything even at home.

Zakhar Timin’s death certificate indicates that he died on Aug. 13 “at the place of temporary dislocation” of his military unit.

NG: And how did
you find out that he went there?

IT: On the night of
July 23-24, all of a sudden I got a message from him that they are
going to Rostov. Then in a phone call he told me he did not sleep all
night because they were going to hit the road. It was so sudden that
even he didn`t clearly understand what has happened and where they
were going. But maybe he knew but didn`t want to tell me as it was
prohibited. At first I was nervous. But he sent me pictures from the
range. In general everything was fine and nothing looked like
trouble. Then he suggested I should visit him in Novocherkassk, and
I was assured that there is nothing to worry about. I was going to
buy the tickets but he called and said don’t come. He didn`t explain
the reason. Then he disappeared for three days. He explained that he
didn`t have the opportunity to charge his phone because there were no
electricity in a camp. I was surprised with his answer but ignored
it.

On Aug. 11 he called
me for the last time. We talked, as usual, about everything. Then he
said he would have no opportunity to charge it (phone) again. And he
doesn`t know when he will be in touch.

And on Aug. 16 I
found out he had died. I realized immediately where it had happened.
He was buried on the 8th
day of his death.

NG: Who told you
about his death?

IT: On Aug. 16 a
major from the army office came to me with bad news. He said my
husband died on duty. I didn`t hear what he was saying next.

NG: Did you have
a chance to say goodbye to your husband?

IT: Yes, I did. He
was brought back in a zinc coffin. There was a small window in it.
But we decided to open the coffin. His mouth was open, there was
fright in his eyes.

You know, Zahar
always wanted to be a serviceman. He liked to deal with machines.
Initially he was dealing with tanks. And then he was transferred to
Maikop, to mechanized infantry. He wasn`t happy about that but he got
used to it. He wanted to choose a calmer job, especially lately, he
was very tired, he didn`t want to work like that for the rest of his
life. He wanted to retire and to start doing something else.

NG: After Zahar`s
death Kristina Gershvyld, a news service producer of NTV channel,
got in touch with Irina.

IT: (She said) ‘We
are doing a story about lies of the Ukrainian media. We have reported
cases when people who are safe at home have been reported as
captured. You are the wife of Zahar Timin? We believe you had a
similar case, and sorry if we got confused. We’re preparing a story
about people who were lied about in this manner.”

(I told her) I would
help you, but only if it were a story about the lies of the Russian
media. What similarity are you talking about? You confused me with
someone else. My husband has died. And it’s the fault of our
government”.

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