Again and again there are voices that speak of a poorly functioning and above all misinformed Russian army. In the early days of the war, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov near the Russian border, an incident confirms exactly this story. School No. 134, completely destroyed today, serves as a memorial to the Russian military fiasco in the predominantly Russian-speaking area.
Before February 24, thousands of soldiers had gathered near Belgorod, a city of nearly 400,000 inhabitants about 70 kilometers from Kharkov. When the war started on the morning of the said day, the Russians marched southwest to Kharkov.
Soldiers apparently misinformed
The story behind a destroyed educational building proves that they were in no way aware that they were about to face the great battle that would come as a result: School No. 134 takes its unimaginative name from the Soviet tradition, at the time was it was often just numbers instead of more perceptive naming used. The school itself was founded in 1936, since 1961 the focus has been on extensive German lessons, later it became a PASCH and DSD school.
The white and yellow building is almost unrecognizable when people from the neighborhood show photos from the previous year. Hundreds of bullet holes and shrapnel can be seen in the facade that has not yet collapsed.
‘It was drummed in at home’
The story likes to be told by people nearby because it is symbolic. What happened here? Six Russian tanks came here according to the unanimous story of the people. However, they would not have come up with the plan to invade as bloodthirsty occupiers. They believed much more that they came as liberators: “It was instilled in them at home, they were tricked by their own Russian propaganda. They didn’t know that most of them would be unwanted here,” says a middle-aged man who lives a few hundred meters away.
The soldiers asked for food and reportedly even at the local police station for fuel for the tanks.
Soldiers were not welcome
According to deputy director Lilia Dvernyuk, it all started on February 27 at 7:30 am. “The Russians hoped to be greeted with flowers.” It didn’t, so they blew up the door, chased the guard away, and broke into the building. About 20 soldiers barricaded themselves in and the attack by the Ukrainian army soon began.
Dwernyuk describes: “At about 1 pm there were violent explosions as the school was shelled with tanks and mortars, and eventually there was a major fire.” The fire brigade had been unable to intervene as the fighting continued and the Russians soldiers fought back to the last.
Area still high risk area
The result can be seen in the ruins. A gust of wind drives a Russian soldier’s boot onto the track where children used to demonstrate their physical abilities. Again and again you see personal belongings of the dead. The “clean up” work could not be done here as carefully as in other regions. The area is still considered a risk area.
War shatters future dreams
Not the only circumstance that makes the deputy director melancholy: “More than 600 students learned here under 54 teachers, 12 of whom were German teachers. Our students have passed the German language diploma exam, have studied successfully in Ukraine and abroad – many of our graduates work successfully in Germany and Austria.”
On the facade of the building, before the battle, one could read the slogan “Success in learning – success in life”. “And it really was until the Russian world came to Ukraine and destroyed our school,” Dvernyuk sighs.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
