The mother of the deputy commander of the Azov battalion: “My son is good, he is not a Nazi, he defends his homeland”

Do you know where he is now?

“Svyatoslav does not drink and does not smoke.”

Is he too with Azov’s comrades a prisoner in Olenivka, Donetsk region?

«He wanted to continue studying but then in 2014 he went in Donbass to defend our country “.

Before answering our questions, Lydia Vasylivna66, wants to let us know who he is Svyatoslav Palamar known as Kalynaher 39-year-old boyfriend, deputy commander of the Azov battalion, last to leave the Mariupol steelworks. He wants to defend the reputation and honor of that boy with the unkempt beard and camouflage we met in the video messages sent from the Azovstal tunnels, in which he said: “Let’s resist, until the end.” Even when Zelensky replied: “Leave it alone, go out”; Kalina replied: “Don’t worry, we’ll win.” In Vasylivna’s voice that answers us from her house in Mykolaiv, 30 kilometers from Lviv, we perceive her fatigue that she becomes the mother of a man considered to be a bit of a hero and a bit of a Nazi.

When was the last time you spoke?

“It was May 20, it was eleven in the morning. We haven’t heard from it in a long time. He told us: “Hi mom, hi dad, I’m about to leave Azovstal, from now on I don’t know when I’ll be able to hear from you again., it could take a long time ”. And then nothing more ».

What did you answer him?


“I haven’t been able to tell him much. I just told him: “Please be careful.” He was waiting to be evacuated, the others came out before him. The wounded soldiers and subordinates. Now we are very afraid that they will harm him ».

The Russians?

“Yes, I’m terrified of them torturing him. We have a lot of faith in our president. Let’s hope he negotiates the release of the Azovstal prisoners who fought for the glory of all Ukraine. Let’s hope nobody forgets them ».

When was the last time you saw Kalina?

“We saw it on television a few nights ago. He thanked Zelensky and everyone who helped evacuate the steelworks. We don’t have much information and this destroys us. We don’t sleep, we follow the news all day. I miss my son, haven’t hugged him since January“.

Did you last see it live in January? Did you imagine this war?

“He lived in Mariupol with his wife and his son who is 5 years old. I often went to them to help them with the baby. I like being a grandmother. My son imagined that things would explode, so much so that two days before February 24 he sent his family out of Ukraine ».

What did he tell you about the steel mills?

“Very little. Often he would send us messages with just a “+”. The “+” was her way of saying everything ok, I’m alive. And we waited for that sign for days
“.

He recorded a video for her that went viral.

«When I miss him I regard him, but the more I see him, the more I suffer. My son’s face has changed, it’s worn out. He is a joyful man. He adores him son of him. When he was little he loved toy soldiers and now his great passion is cooking. When he comes home he starts cooking. He should have come to work in our bar, but he preferred the army. ‘

Excuse me, why Kalyna?

“I was surprised, it’s a woman’s name. But Kalyna is also a plant, the symbol of our country ».

Is your son a Nazi?

“No it is not. There is a misconception of the Azov battalion, fruit of Russian propaganda: they are not Nazis, they are nationalists
. Among them there are not only Ukrainians. All those people who want to defend our country which has been in danger of invasion for years are part of the Azovs. It hurts me a lot when they say my son is a Nazi. ‘

Do you have far-right ideas?

“He has never been interested in politics. At school he loved history. After Maidan and Andriy Biletsky founded Azov, he joined the battalion. A strong patriotic sense has grown in many of the boys. We, for example, are with Zelensky ».