On Friday, June 16 - funeral in the city of Kremenchuk. We leave Zaporizhzhia early in the morning, we stop in Dnipro to pick up Legate. It's good that it's on the right bank of the Dnieper, not such a big waste of time. Then the navigator shows to drive across the right bank.
Kytaev Vadym Vyacheslavovych "Gnom" - Soldier, Grenade Launcher 3rd detachment 3rd special purpose platoon 2nd special purpose company (on armored personnel carriers) 1st special purpose battalion of military unit 3057 of the Eastern Operational Territorial Unit of the National Guard of Ukraine
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We pass a famous bridge in Kremenchuk. It's really beautiful, you can even see the beach from the side, it's still early and it's a weekday, but there are already several people there. Before 11, we arrive at the City Palace of Culture, where the farewell will be held. We go to the ATB to drink coffee, then we get the flags, give them to the Azov soldiers, and go to the palace of culture.
The first piece that was played was "Adagio" by Albinoni. This is one of my favorite works. How many times in the past have I liked to turn on this music at full volume and drive through Kyiv in the evening and ... now new memories are added to those memories, which seem to be from a past life. Next, the famous melody of Skoryk is played, and then other works. In the cultural center, after the coffin was brought there, we stay for a relatively long time... people still approach, and leave flowers. I pronounce the Prayer of a Ukrainian Nationalist.
Then we leave in a column for the funeral service in the Central Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in the photo). The church is new, but it looks small, we are waiting near the church. Legate and I smoke a lot of cigarettes. Then the colonel comes, we talk, and he tells various stories, including about the first period of the war. It is interesting, but all this is maybe for other texts, someday.
Then we leave in a column for the burial at the city's Svishtovsky cemetery, on the Alley of Heroes. We drive for a long time, through the whole city, mostly at traffic lights we don't stop and go through red lights. I follow a military vehicle and ignore the traffic lights, an ambulance follows me with flashing lights. I tried to let it pass, but they did not go further, so the flashing lights are for passing the entire column. The road to the cemetery is quite long through the whole city.
At the cemetery, I present the flag and chevron to the father of the fallen hero. The father is wearing a blue embroidered shirt, it is obvious that he is having a hard time. I once again read the Prayer of a Ukrainian Nationalist. Then we go to do some things in the city, and then in a few hours we will go on a long journey to the south. At 22 I return to the place where I settled the French. It's late, but I'm going to take a shower and suggest walking around the city afterwards. The French happily accept the offer and we walk until midnight before the curfew begins. At such a time, there is no heat anymore...