They were buried next to each other: brothers died in war
Two brothers from Lviv region were killed in the war. Censor.NET talks to the widow of Nazar Zvir
Earlier, we wrote about a double tragedy in the Kostiuk family, when two brothers were killed at the front. Unfortunately, a family from Lviv region also suffered such a stroke of bad luck - brothers, soldiers Nazar and Volodymyr Zvir, were killed at the front line. We contacted Khrystyna Zvir (34 years old), the widow of the deceased Nazar, to find out the story of the brave soldiers who gave their lives for their country.
The brothers were buried next to each other
Nazar was 7 years older than Volodymyr, so in his childhood, he was like a second mother to Volodymyr - he entertained, fed, and looked after him, as his mother Oksana worked hard. The brothers were very friendly.
Nazar told his beloved Khrystyna that he realized the importance of family values when he was young. He used to say: "I'm going to have a family, I have to do everything for my family. I have to plan, I have to think..."
Nazar
Volodymyr was more of a sociable person: he had a lot of friends and was a cheerful guy. Thus, their views on life were somewhat different, but these differences were never a cause for conflict.
Volodymyr
In 2015-2016, brothers Nazar and Volodymyr defended the country in the ATO zone. Before the full-scale invasion, Nazar worked at a company that exports berries. At the time, Volodymyr worked at a gas station and in construction. However, with the outbreak of the great war, both brothers again defended the country.
Volodymyr
Nazar was 35 years old and Volodymyr was 28 when they passed away. Volodymyr died of shrapnel wounds near Bakhmut in September 2023. Nazar's life was cut short by an aerial bomb on December 5, 2023, in the village of Stelmakhivka, Luhansk region.
The brothers were buried next to each other in their native village of Volia-Vysotska in the Lviv region. They are survived by their brother Mykola, as well as their parents, Oksana and Vasyl. Nazar has two daughters: Sofiia is 6 years old, and Solomiia is 4.
Before Volodymyr's death, a crystal vase cracked in the church
Before Volodymyr's death, his mother Oksana bought large, beautiful crystal vases to give to the local church. Later, a church worker said: "Oh, you know, Oksana, the vase is cracked!". And soon the family received the news of Volodymyr's death...
"You don't know how hard it is for me. We went together, and I'm the only one coming back alive..."
Khrystyna, Nazar's widow, recalls how hard it was for her when her husband's brother went missing. When the news was reported, there was no contact with Nazar - he was on a combat mission. A few hours later, Volodymyr's mother received a second call and was asked to come for identification...
...At night, Khrystyna did not sleep a minute. She thought about how she would tell her husband. Khrystyna was very worried because, after the ATO, Nazar became emotional and short-tempered. When he finally came back from the trip, the woman said: "Please, hold on! I'm asking you very much...".
The death of his younger brother was a huge tragedy for Nazar. He was very worried... He told his wife: "You don't know how hard it is for me. Because we were going together. I came back alive, and he did not!".
Nazar courageously kept his emotions under control. Khrystyna suggests that perhaps he blamed himself for what happened...
"Our stryiko (uncle - ed. note) is protecting us in heaven..."
Khrystyna says she was afraid to tell her daughters about their uncle's death: " I waited until Nazar came back from the east of the country. We sat down together in front of the children and told them that our stryiko (uncle - ed. note) (that's how we call father's brother in Lviv region) is already in heaven. He protects us in heaven..."
Khrystyna begged her father-in-law Vasyl and mother-in-law Oksana not to let the children see their tears: "When our daughter Sofiika sees someone cry, she goes hysterical! So in the presence of children, they had to hold it in. "When the children weren't around, they let their emotions out..."
"After losing his brother, I suggested my husband to have a son"
During the conversation, the widow Khrystyna thanks God for having met such a man. She says that she liked everything about Nazar's character: "As a child, Nazar always wanted to have a sister. So when he found out we were going to have a daughter, he was simply glowing with happiness! He was completely devoted to his children!" I have a large social circle, and when I was a kid, I had seven children in my family, so I have something to compare with. So I can say with certainty that my Nazar was just an extraordinary dad. And as a husband, he was gentle and caring."
On the minus side of Nazar that Khrystyna could think of was his stubbornness. According to her, after the ATO, Nazar became more temperamental and abrasive. However, such behavior was rather rare.
After her husband lost his brother, Khrystyna decided to talk to her beloved about the upcoming addition to their family. The woman suggested to Nazar to have a son: "Of course, Nazar was pleasantly surprised and shocked. But I felt that we needed to fill the void. Because he loved his brother very much. And with his character, you know, he internalized everything. But we have to talk about everything! You have to talk about your pain. I told Nazar that we are not strangers, right?"
"Although the war is ongoing and you are at war, I am very happy..."
When Nazar was at the front, Khrystyna told him something that he still can't forget. It was shortly before the tragedy. Perhaps even before her husband's death.
She said: "Nazar, thank you, I am very happy. Although there is a war ongoing, and you are at war. But I am very happy. I don't know why."
Khrystyna remembers feeling happy. Perhaps it was because of her children. The woman was preparing for victory, no matter how presumptuous it may sound. She firmly believed that Nazar would return from the front and everything would be fine: "Nazar assured me that everything would be fine. I believed him..."
Khrystyna feels that Nazar was also happy, both as a husband and a father. However, he kept this happiness inside himself as much as possible, did not talk about it.
Before Nazar's death, Khrystyna had a dream about his late brother Volodymyr
Before Nazar's death, Khrystyna had her first dream about her husband's deceased brother Volodymyr: "Nazar and his deceased brother Volodymyr were sitting in the kitchen. Volodymyr was telling something funny and emotional, laughing. My Nazar was sitting back to him, welding something with a welding machine. There was a white heavenly light around him - a big ball had formed! I couldn't hear them talking, but there was light coming from Nazar! When I woke up, I thought it was just a dream..."
"Dad, I love you so much - up to God!"
Even before Nazar's death, his younger daughter Solomiia kept telling him, "Dad, I love you so much - up to God!"
When her father would call from the front, Sofiia would ask him to pass the phone to her: "Mom, give me Dad!". And she would repeat the same phrase to him again and again. He answered: "My daughter, I love you too!"
Khrystyna sees this as a sign: "It seems as if Solomiika wanted to tell him this, you know? It was very strange for me - why up to God?"
I was asked: "When was the last time you talked to Nazar?"
Khrystyna says that she had no contact with her husband for several days. She received a phone call from Mykola, Nazar's brother, who asked her, "When was the last time you spoke to Nazar?"
Khrystyna felt that something bad had happened. However, Mykola reassured her: "Don't worry, nothing is clear yet."
Khrystyna had contacts of her husband's comrades in arms, so she started calling them. But no one picked up the phone... Khrystyna realized that something was wrong... Apparently, the comrades in arms knew about Nazar's death even then.
Later, Khrystyna received a call from her husband's commander who told her the terrible news. From a happy wife waiting for her beloved from the war, the woman turned into a grieving widow. When she heard the terrible news, she simply did not know what to say. She asked only one question: "What am I going to do with two small children?"
"Mom, let’s go to Dad at the war! Let’s go to Dad in heaven!"
Khrystyna still can't forget telling her daughters the terrible truth about their father's death. Summoning all her will, she hugged the eldest Sofiia tightly and said: "My daughter, I'm going to tell you something now ... But do you promise that we will be very strong? Our dad lives in heaven now, too... Together with his brother..."
Sofiia thought for a minute. Then she asked: " Is he dead?"
Khrystyna answered that yes.
Sofiia didn't cry, but the next day her tears came out with a gush, and she cried a lot.
And little Solomiia carried her father's portrait and cried, saying: "I miss him so much."
She could also wake up at night and ask: "Mom, let's go to dad! We're going to war!" Khrystyna answered: "Daughter, daddy is not at war anymore. Our dad is in heaven." And she would hear back: "Well, then let's go to him in heaven !"
Khrystyna tried to explain to her daughter that her father sees her from heaven and is happy that he has such a beautiful, intelligent daughter: "We just don't see him, he is an invisible angel!"
Grapes and Roses That Were Never Meant to Grow
Nazar had many plans and dreams. After Ukraine's victory in the war, he wanted to meet his comrades in arms and their families.
His father Vasyl has a garden, so Nazar also dreamed of having his own garden and house. He wanted to plant grapes and roses for the children...
One day, Khrystyna gave him a gift of tree saplings—apple, pear, and currant. Nazar was overjoyed. He immediately began planning: "I’ll plant this here! And this over here…". He was very excited about it.
But these saplings were never meant to take root in the soil soaked with the blood of our soldiers by the Russians…
After losing their two sons, Oksana and Vasyl, according to Khrystyna, find strength through their grandchildren. She says that she and her children live with her in-laws. She adds that she, too, finds solace in her children—the continuation of the lineage of her beloved Nazar, who gave his life for his homeland.
He comes to the cemetery every day. Sometimes twice a day
Khrystyna visits her husband's grave every day. Sometimes twice a day. On the day we recorded the interview, she went to the cemetery twice. From strangers, she hears that perhaps this is "too much." However, she trusts only her own feelings: "I go there when I have a need. I feel in my heart that I need to go."
Nazar's widow recalls that at first, after her husband's burial, she just sat on a bench next to his grave, crying. Then she told him how much she missed him. "When I cried my tears, the emotions went away, and for a while I really felt a little better. Now, when my daughters and I go to the cemetery, they kiss their father's portrait and pray. They add water to the flowers..."
It is the children who help Khrystyna cope with the pain: "Children are such a light! For Nazar and me, our children were always in the first place. Our children were happy, so we were happy. Solomiika is very similar to her dad. And when her eyes look at me - as if they were her dad's eyes - I can't give up!"
Maryna Serheieva, for Censor. NET
photo by Khrystyna Zvir
