Who Is That Elderly Man Who Marches in Military Uniform?

Retired Colonel Viktar Davydau announced that he would go out on rallies until victory.

On the day of the first Sunday march, which took place in Minsk on August 16, retired Colonel Viktar Siarheevich Davydau could not stay at home. He put on his military uniform, drove to the city center, and then walked with the people to the stele. How many kilometers he covered that day, he did not count; he remembers something else. "When people began to disperse, a journalist ran up to me and asked who I was and why I was here. I introduced myself as "Vietnam War veteran" and replied: "I went out to fight for my rights." Since then, for two months, every Sunday, 76-year-old Viktar Siarheevich has been out in the city to peacefully show that he does not agree with what happened in the country after the elections, tut.by writes.

Recently, the Davydau family's weekend goes like this: on Saturday, Viktar Siarheevich and his wife Tamara Vasileuna are in charge of the summer house. On Sunday, the husband goes to the march, and the wife watches broadcasts from the procession. This, he says, gives at least a small idea of what is happening with Viktar Siarheevich at this time.

"Every Sunday, I am very worried about him, but I am just as proud of him," Tamara Vasilieuna emotionally talks about her husband. "Some men approach him and admit that they are afraid to put on a uniform for the march because they are afraid to stand out. Therefore, what he does is a feat."

Tamara Vasileuna and Viktar Siarheevich have been together for 54 years. They live in one of the panel houses in a military town. Today, on the table in their house, there are old photos, awards, and even a book with a reference article about Viktar Davydau. It says: Viktar Siarheevich - Colonel, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor. After service and study, he taught at the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School - now it is the Military Academy.

"I was born in Iuje, graduated with honors from the Minsk Higher Engineering Radio Engineering School, and was assigned to the Murmansk Region," Viktar Siarheevich informs. "A year later, I was offered to "fulfill an honorable mission and go to hot countries." I am a party man, and I understood that such an offer is equated to an order, so I answered: "Yes." And in 1970, the guys and I flew on a business trip. The USSR then did not recognize that their military was in Vietnam, so, according to the documents, I was sent there as a specialist in the cultivation of corn. But in fact, I turned out to be an adviser to the division commander, supervised the work of the local military on equipment."

At that time, Viktar Siarheevich continues, there were four combat zones in Vietnam. The most dangerous of them is the fourth, where the fighting took place. There he went. One of his Minsk teachers helped the young man to make a serious decision - Davydau accidentally met him "on a tropical business trip." "You will return to your homeland with the order," he inspired the first lieutenant back then. Although the interlocutor jokes about himself, he is not a proud man and agreed to a medal (like Vasily Terkin from Tvardovsky's poem).

"I served in the air defense. For six months, I was on the defense of the Hamjong bridge. For his defense, I was awarded a battle sign, and later transferred to the city of Vinh to guard the airfield," recalls the interlocutor. "Here our regiment shot down eight planes and two drones. Here is a vase," he shows a small vessel that is on the table; it is made from the wreckage of one of our downed planes."

A year later, it was already in 1971, the business trip ended, and Viktar Siarheevich returned to the USSR. He graduated from the Military Academy in Kharkiv, served in different parts of the Union - and in the late 1970s, he again ended up in Belarus.

"Did you return home, as the teacher said, with the order?"

"While we were in Vietnam, in front of the line of officers, the commander read out that I had been awarded the Order of the Red Star, but the award was never given to me," he says. "After returning, I waited for it for two years, and I thought maybe the documents were lost, but - nothing. When the Union collapsed, I decided to go to the military registration and enlistment office again to find traces of my Order. The answer that came to us from the military archive in Podolsk read: "He had not been awarded." Why this happened, I do not know. I think the award was given to the political worker instead of me. That's not fair."

"Once I was walking near the bus of law enforcers, I look, they open the curtains and look at me in surprise"

His relatives tell about Viktar Siarheevich that his sense of justice led him to a peaceful protest.

"In 1994, I retired; at the same time, Lukashenka ran for the first time. He promised that he would fight corruption, so I voted for him," recalls the interlocutor. "But corruption we have is the same as it was. Moreover, the country is becoming impoverished. A simple example is my pension. In rubles, it increases, but in dollars - and the dollar is now the unit that determines the standard of living of a person - the pension becomes smaller. I do not hide that after those elections and before this summer, my wife and I did not vote. We didn't like any of the candidates. And then suddenly, the candidates appeared who suit me, and they were jailed. Then we decided to support Tsikhanouskaya. Many of my relatives voted for her, but the final results surprised me. I realized that everything is not very well here."

To express his disagreement with the election results, on Sunday, August 16, Viktar Siarheevich first went out into the street in protest. On a peaceful march, he went in his military uniform. He says that it was very important for him: "People should see that among those who wear epaulets, there are those who support the people."

"Since then, I put on a uniform every Sunday," says the interlocutor.

"Do you somehow prepare for Sunday walks? Yet these days, you have to cover a considerable distance."

"No, the main thing is that I have comfortable shoes."

People on the street, he says, tend to react kindly. Many people say thank you, wave, clap their hands. Some people mistake him for a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, wondering why he looks so young. Viktar Siarheevich then clarifies: he is a veteran of the Vietnam War.

'"Once a man came up and said: "How can you oppose the authorities, aren't you a colonel?" I answer: "Address to me as "wy," not "ty." He said: "Comrade Colonel." "I'm not your comrade," I stop him, and we disperse,' Viktar Siarheevich reports that conversation. "It happened that they called me a mummer, they said that I was not a real colonel, but bought medals. It hurts me, but what can I say: if someone has questions, come to me, I will show all my IDs."

"And how do the security officials react to you?"

"They open their eyes wide," the interlocutor smiles. "Once I was walking near their bus, I look, they open the curtains and look at me in surprise. There was a case when I reached the residence, approached the cordon. They say to me: tell them (security officials - ed. note)—a few words. I decided to read Lermontov's "The Death of a Poet" and remind them: human punishment is everywhere. Even if you do not answer according to the law, God will overtake. One of them then jumped out to me, began to shoot and provoke. I asked: "How much do you get your pensions?" I answer: "Enough." He asked me: "Who pays you?" I - to him: "The people." In general, he realized that he wouldn't get me so easily, and I went to the second group of security officials."

"Under dispersing," the interlocutor says, he also got but did not run away from the AMAP. For myself, I decided that if they start picking up, he will go to the paddy wagon, but so far, people in uniform have never touched him. Why? He said, smiling: "Perhaps because I am an honored person."

"In 1988, I was awarded the Order "For Service to the Motherland" of III degree," continues Viktar Siarheevich. "In confirmation, I carry a medal book. I believe that neither the police nor the AMAP should touch the order bearers.

"We have a military dacha, and I counted: out of 15 houses on my street, we are supported in six"

Viktar Siarheevich is not the only person of venerable age who now goes out into the street in protest. On Monday, for example, a march of pensioners took place in Minsk. Davydau was not there, he admits: he did not even know about the rally. The husband, unlike Tamara Vasileuna, does not use either a computer or Telegram. Usually, his grandson tells him important news about what is happening and where.

"A year ago, my daughter gave me a TV, showed me how to connect the Internet to it," the interlocutor points to the big screen. "I turn on YouTube on it, watch the news, I can listen to Katz" (Maxim Katz is a Russian blogger - ed. note).

"And how do your older friends feel about the fact that you go out?"

"I have a friend with whom I served in Vietnam, he says to me, 'I would love to go with you, but I cannot,' he is paralyzed. We have a military dacha, and I counted: out of 15 houses on my street, we are supported in six. The rest are either for Lukashenka or are silent. They, they explain, are satisfied with everything."

"I am surprised that many retirees do not support us," Tamara Vasilieuna joins the conversation. "One of them as an argument told me: "We need a strong government." But has a strong government produced any positive results? Is the country developing? Our other neighbor shouted: we need to create squads, catch those who are against, and kill. I asked: "We have lived together for so many years; why are you going to kill us now?"

"This is all because they only watch Belarusian television," Viktar Siarheevich answers his wife. "I have a friend, Colonel. He lives on the next street. He is for Lukashenka; he goes to rallies in his support. We agreed to this way: everyone has the right to their opinion, and this should not prevent us from communicating well, because maintaining human relations is the main thing."

"Viktar Siarheevich, how long are you ready to go out like this?"

"Until the victory, and it will come, certainly. The government must yield because they see how many people are against them."

"The authorities do not pay attention to this," Tamara Vasilieuna takes the floor."

"I think they will understand, it is impossible to allow the people to be divided into two parts," the husband does not agree with her. "After all, doing so with your own people is already a crime."