Ričardas Grigas opened the door to a infirmary ward where Ričardas Savickas, only 1 leg visible from under the covers, was recovering from an attack that nearly claimed their lives.
They proceeded to mock each another – why did you keep pretending your hand is injured, said Savickas, while Grigas answered with a gag or 2 of his own. The back-and-forth continued until Grigas settled down into a chair.
“We experienced what others shouldn’t,” said Grigas. “Everything utilized to end up well.”
They have lost number of how many times they have brought aid to civilians and soldiers on Ukraine’s frontlines, but the number of trips stretches into dozens. Only 1 ended in tragedy.
On June 24th, their car convoy was attacked in Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian logistics hub in the Donetsk region, respective twelve kilometres from the frontline. The first hit by an Iskander rocket did small harm to the team, but the second rocket perforated the cars with shrapnel and hit Grigas in the arm, while Savickas took a hit to his leg. The remainder of the squad suffered concussions.
They were evacuated to a close infirmary where, respective hours later, Savickas woke up with his leg amputated – “I said, men, where is my leg?”
“When we told the others, that’s erstwhile all the pain, cries, and swearing began,” said Grigas. The squad was in shock and disbelief as the realization of what had happened set in. “We had already accepted that we had an unwanted incident, it will be forgotten 1 day, but then it all changed,” he added.
Ričardas Grigas. Photo: Benas Gerdžiūnas / LRT
Safety lessons
Since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022, dozens if not hundreds of Lithuanian volunteers have brought aid to the frontlines. Many have done it for years, while others joined after the invasion. The feeling of mobilization was especially pronounced in Lithuania, where many felt the war in close Ukraine was besides their own.
At times, however, any critics saw their aid effort as small more than war tourism. Lithuanian and Ukrainian fighters would sometimes complain that civilian volunteers eager to see the frontline seemed primarily curious in selfie opportunities. The same accusations would besides frequently be levelled against journalists.
“Our volunteers go where it is not necessary, like ourselves – we arrive at a military base, and what does that mean? It means that there can be a hit at any time,” said Savickas. “But no 1 can accuse us of war tourism – we work in a targeted way, we go to circumstantial places and hand over circumstantial [gear], we don’t effort to get [to the frontline] with soldiers.”
At least 5 people died in the rocket strike on Pokrovsk on June 24th. The mark for the Russians may have been the commander of an elite unit whom the Lithuanian volunteers were due to meet in the town just metres from where the rockets landed.
However, Pokrovsk is already a possible mark due to its importance as a logistics and command hub serving a wide long of the Donetsk frontline. Thus, the real mark may only be known to the Ukrainian armed forces.
The squad of volunteers besides stood out, according to Savickas.
“Ukrainian intelligence told us that the full Donetsk region is being watched and you guys looked very noticeable,” said Savickas.
The cars were painted black and marked with white crosses, which are usually utilized by the Ukrainian military only. Members of the group – including Savickas – besides wore camouflage clothes, as well as Lithuanian tricolours and badges.
To any collaborators in the city, they could have easy come across as abroad fighters – and Russia has a track evidence of expending considerable resources, including hypersonic weapons, in order to mark them.
LRT.lt found at least respective cases of Russia hitting buildings where Lithuanian volunteers had stayed just days, or hours, prior. More anecdotal evidence points to Russia utilizing costly missiles to mark the locations where even a tiny group of global volunteers had stayed.
In a 2023 LRT interview, Grigas besides said, “In January, I was close Bakhmut, transporting synthetic blood plasma, precious cargo to military hospitals. 2 days later, the home where we were surviving was bombed. People don’t get any money or anything out of it, but they study that Lithuanians stayed there.”
It’s hard to gather evidence to show whether in each incidental Russia was targeting civilians or whether the strikes followed reports of global troops, instructors or the Ukrainian military gathering there.
A strike in June 2023 on a restaurant in Kramatorsk claimed 13 lives. Ukraine’s safety services then arrested an alleged collaborator who had passed on a message to his Russian handlers that the Ukrainian military was gathering inside, which was false.
In virtually all rocket strikes on civilian targets, Russia has claimed that they have targeted troops – either Ukrainian or international. But evidence points to the contrary, including in possible war crimes like the Hroza strike in October 2023, erstwhile Russia killed 51 people at a vigil, or the rocket attack on Kyiv’s children infirmary this July.
However, any lessons inactive request to be learned by volunteers going on future trips.
“Flak jackets are needed all the time, as well as markings of volunteers. It’s essential to have briefings before the journey and a elder individual in each squad who knows what to do, so there can be as fewer victims and injuries as possible,” said Savickas. “We acted besides carelessly.”
“I think those who accepted aid had besides learned their lesson,” added Grigas. “We simply cannot do things by ourselves there.”
This text was republished through the partnership between fresh east Europe and LRT English.
Benas Gerdžiūnas is simply a writer at the Lithuanian public broadcaster, LRT.
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