BBC Ukraine
Maria SmechanskaMary’s life has been reduced to waiting for her husband’s next phone call, never know if she could be the last.
Ivan, a 31-year-old Ukrainian hunting pilot, has begun defending the sky from the first hours of the Russian-scale on-scale invasion in February 2022, and has now flown more than 200 dangerous missions on its old Mitja 29 plane in Soviet.
The commander of the squad has lost several comrades in the war. Some were intimate friends. Others were godparents to the children of others. The location of its current air base in the west of Ukraine cannot be revealed for security reasons.
But, like the efforts led by the United States to negotiate a cessation rate, and new conversations with Russia and Ukraine planned on Monday, things have changed.
« If there is a cessation of fire, we will feel safer, » says Maria.
In Ukraine, more and more people are openly talking about war fatigue. They have been calling for the end of the most brutal fighting in Europe since World War II, and for firm western protection guarantees to ensure that Russia cannot attack again.
At the same time, Maria fears that any agreement may involve accepting the loss of four Ukrainian regions in southeast partially captured by RussiaJust as Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. « No one will return us the lost territories, » according to the 29 -year -old. « They will stay under the Russian occupation. »
She asks, « What (did) so many men, our heroes, sacrifice their lives if Ukraine cannot fight for them and are forced to make concessions? »
Maria SmechanskaWhen Mary and Ivan met, the perspective of a large -scale war in Ukraine seemed impossible.
Maria was an English teacher at a Children’s Local Club in West of Ukraine, which was attended by the daughter of one of the comrades of Ivan. The comrade offered Ivan with Mary, who described as « a very nice teacher. »
At first, Ivan was pressured by the arrangement, but he finally agreed to come.
It was glad to do it. They soon began to see.
In one of his first dates, Ivan warned Mary to have a dangerous job. Said it would not be a problem. Ivan was brave, affectionate and protector, and Mary fell in love.
Soon he had to follow a long -term deployment away from home. They lost contact for a year and seemed that their relationship could end.
But he then returned with a giant flower bouquet and promised that he did not want to waste time. Within a year, the two were married and soon waited for their first child.
It was only once Russia launched her large -scale invasion that Mary understood what would have meant about the harsh realities of her work.
Her daughter Yaroslava was only three months old. Ivan missed his first milestones: helping her to take her first steps, seeing her first teeth passing and comforting her during her first illness.
« When Ivan unfolds far from the house, I send thousands of photos of our daughter to help him feel that at least the day with us, » says Maria.
On a nearby mission, Maria put her daughter in a stroller and precipitated to a checkpoint where she could leave to take them for five minutes.
She brought her homemade food. They spoke. And he found that every minute together it was worth the months they had spent waiting.
Before Yaroslava could speak, he would use his tiny hands to make a gesture that his father was flying through the sky.
« Our daughter knows that her father is a pilot, » she says. « When he had a birthday and his father ate a birthday cake on a video call, we told him that he could not be with us, as he defended Ukraine of the Russians. »
Maria SmechanskaThe family now has a professional photo taken every six months. « It is very difficult for me to say, but I have to be completely honest. We never know if (it will be) our final call or meeting, » says Maria, near the tears.
She feels that she must be ready for « everything, including the worst case. »
During the first year of the war, he would regularly feel victims of friends. « Call your wives and don’t find the words to say. And fear that someday you are in the same situation. »
Ukrainians seek specific protection guarantees by the United States and Europe, and an increase in western hunting jets, to deter Russian aggressions.
The country has received several F-16 and hunting aircraft from French Mirage, but the country’s air force is still largely based on Soviet war planes, just a party for more advanced Russian planes.
Mary waits with caution a cessation of fire. It could « freeze » the conflict at best, according to her, but it is difficult to trust as she does not trust Russia.
Vladimir Putin wants to end western military help in Kiev and the distribution of intelligence with Ukrainiansas well as a stop in mobilization in Ukraine.
Many experts say that their demands are simply a pretext to continue the war he launched, despite heavy Russian victims.
There are also fears that Donald Trump, who has publicly stated that ending the war is one of his main priorities, he could prepare a treatment behind the scenes with Russia that would force Ukraine to accept painful concessions.
Maria SmechanskaEven after a cessation of fire, Mary will still be waiting for rare calls and meetings, as the Ukraine Air Force will have to be alert for a long time.
And, although there may be Peace in Ukraine, she wonders if her husband will be at peace again. Mary says that Ivan, who has been deeply affected by the fighting on the front line, has a « patriotic soul » and will continue to serve even after the war.
Mary believes that it is important for him not to feel that the victims were in vain, and is still hopeful that the parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk are returned.
The priority for Mary now is to reassure her husband and offer -optimism. She dreams of a future where her young family can finally begin to rebuild her life in a home, in her own country.
« My husband has to know that we always wait for him. »
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