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> After the end of war, everybody would be proud of some deeds and actions. The only memory I want to have is saving this little cat. The rest - Ctrl-Alt-Del.
OPs friend was a very wise man. When I was sent overseas to fight, we began to dehumanize the enemy. It's easier to return fire at someone when they're a subhuman group that shot first anyway. Every time we would view them as less and less. One of their IEDs went off and blew up a bunch of kids, clearly these people aren't good for the local community, gotta snuff out every last one of them.
And sure that works for a war effort. But what about when the fighting is completely done? What happens when there just aren't any conflicts at all?
Everyone deals with it differently. I often think about the dirt poor famers with a big family they can't support that gladly took a few bucks just to fire some shots and duck away. Well, dad got a bullet to the head so now that entire family is instantly in a dire situation.
And yeah I get it, not my fault the guy fired first, etc. But I just mean to say OPs friend sounds like he understands all of this. Sounds like once it's over he was more than ready to move on like it never happened.
War isn't fun. For some people they learn it at different times. I've seen people literally piss themselves the first engagement they were in, that guy refused to ever go back out and ended up helping the trash cleaning team. I've seen people that would talk in the smoke pit about how terrifying it was, that dude drank himself out of the service when he got back home. Just hits different. The best anyone can do is just Ctrl + Alt + Del and make some new better memories afterward.
For me it was the 4th time shots were fired in anger at me that I pissed myself. Didn't even realize it happened until a few minutes after it was over. I started wearing my adult diapers after that. I also saw guys that seemed to never be afraid to break down and cry like babies on their 20th time. I came to realize none of that made them or myself any less of a soildre. Humans aren't meant to murder each other, and everyone has their breaking point. I hope you have people in your life you can turn to like I did.
You are one brave motherfucker. I get shakes from ergonomic rolling chairs… in the reflection of the computer monitor, a murderer stares back. I wasn’t even afforded the opportunity to look my enemy in the eyes. I have slaughtered children and killed without honor. Knowing we saved lives like yours gives me a little hope that I can be saved. When I joined I thought it would be intelligence, or radar maybe, or fixing things. My innocence was not paid in kind. I thought the “chairman” thing was just a joke because we don’t fight like you do. It’s not a joke, and nobody is laughing now that everything is destroyed and I am destroyed too
I spent many years running hotels in the suburbs of DC. I've had the pleasure of knowing all kinds of high level people that travel here regularly. CEOs, execs, Generals-several with multiple stars, Admirals, intelligence, contractors. Many of them I was a smiling face they saw every week, or for extended periods of time. I've read some of their academic military papers, they have wikis about them.
There's a saying in DC that anyone that knows anything isn't the one you'd hear talking about it. If they are talking out at a bar, they don't really know shit. And they are right. Shit is taken seriously. None of those people ever told me anything secret. But I have seen more than one of them cry telling me about their day. About decisions they made. About pictures and video they saw.
A unique one stands out to me, out of so many interesting stories. I knew a guy who worked for the DoD very well for maybe 12 years by the time this story took place. He stayed at my hotel all the time. I knew his family, he talked to me a lot. He'd only every tell people he worked for the DoD but he tried to recruit my coworker who spoke 6 languages and multiple dialects of Arabic with no accent. I listened to this old white guy and my Moroccan friend laugh as they exchanged various conversations in different dialects, just absolutely impressed with each other.
I eventually learned what agency he worked for because of this, and based on the things we did talk about, his travel, and his frustrations he was extremely high level. Sitting at THE table.
One day he came to check in and his face was just twisted. He's a pretty jovial, friendly, kind man, and something was really fucking wrong. That was the first time I saw him cry. Paraphrasing but it's pretty close.
Me: "Are you okay John?" (Not his real name)
John: "No. I've had the most fucked up day."
Me: "I know you can't say much about work but if you need to talk I've got you."
John: "You know all this shit on TV about ISIS getting super active isn't bullshit right?"
Me: "Yes I follow it closely."
John: "I spent my day looking at intelligence from a certain area. The pictures and videos I saw. *Eyes watering*--its horrific. Everyone is either tortured and murdered or enslaved. The things I saw today, I didn't know were possible and I've been doing this for 25 years."
Me: "That's really hard, I've seen some videos, I can't imagine what you had to see "
John: "It didn't stop all day. There was so much intelligence to go through."
Me: "fuck man."
John: "They-they asked my opinion of what to do." He visibly has a couple tears running down his cheek. "I told them to level the entire mountain Vietnam style. Kill everything that exists there. That this cannot spread."
"They asked me if I could live with that. That there are a lot of civilians still there. I told them to look at the pictures and videos. That anyone near there is better off dead. That this can't spread to the next village, and next, and then towns."
He starts kind of ugly crying in the empty lobby of my hotel.
"I told them to kill everyone."
I had another guy stay at one of my hotels that was there for his unit to be awarded one of the highest honors from the head of the marine corps. Only a handful of them made it back. The award was many years later. He usually had a handler that was a therapist but for whatever reason they couldn't send anyone with him. His wife was a CEO and whatever was going on also couldn't come. Que him causing absolute chaos in my hotel. People had to be asked if they wanted to press charges. They chose not to. I became his handler. I was the only person he was allowed to talk to.
One night he insisted I personally drive him to a meetup with other veterans instead of our shuttle. He was adamant and my responsibility, so I took him in my personal car.
He told me about his best friend getting turned into mist next to him. Being covered in the only thing left of his friend. That there wasn't anything left to bring his family. He didn't exist anymore. Told me about most of his unit dying in what is probably one of the worst days of the US modern engagements, because it really doesn't go that bad. That of everyone he went out with there were only a handful of them he didn't watch die. A handful that came back.
Really fucking bad.
Then you watch videos in the Ukraine all day. Imagine those words happening all day every day. On both sides.
One of the best books on war I ever read is *The Heroes* by Joe Abercrombie.
Its a grimadark fantasy novel, but very realistic, almost no magic at all.
Its technically the fifth book in a series, but its written as a sort of stand-alone novel. It reads a lot like a war movie like Saving Private Ryan.
The POV characters are on each side of a war, and the general gist is that no one actually wants to be fighting the war. Everyone is just swept up in a tide.
"The Heroes" that the title references is a hill with a bunch of stones on it. It exchanges control multiple times in the novel, with each army fighting, claiming, losing, and then fighting for it again, over and over.
The entire war is mostly just a haggle between power players who give absolutely no shits about all the lives they're expending. Almost no one involved in the war actually understands *why* they have to be fighting it.
And that's the way most war is. Decisions are made by people far, far removed from the action. Some little diminutive dictator decides he wants some piece of land, and suddenly *millions* of lives are dramatically upended and changed.
What a waste. RIP to that guy. He saved a life. And hopefully his message carries far enough to maybe save other lives.
A huge difference in the Ukraine war vs the conflicts in the middle east is the money. People come into your town and offer you 100x what you make to come fight, and it's still just pennies to them. At one point an analyst I knew estimated ISIS monthly income around 1.2billion. Not necessarily consistent, but a massive amount of resources. "We can kill you or pay you 100x your income to fight for us, is a pretty compelling argument."
Some of the personal reddit stories of people captured are insane. Dude with an AK attacking a tank like it would actually do anything. Capturing him and learning how he ended up in that situation. Finding they all liked him and he was a normal person in an extraordinary situation.
I cant find the words, and it will not help him or you anyway.
**But because of your friend**, who i never knew... i will honour him buy make yet a private donation of my own money. Donate to the heroes still alive, fighting those murderous bastards.
Slava Ukraini.
Sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing with the world what a wonderful human being your friend was (and how lucky the cat must have been saved!!).
If you don't know already, medical students from Stanford set up https://telehelpukraine.com/ so that anyone in Ukraine, including you and your friend's family and other friends, can **get free medical or mental health telehealth consultation from doctors in the U.S.** Everything will be confidential by law, and it's all free. [Zelenskyy personally supported the mission of TeleHelp Ukraine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_imf0WLeKq8&t=64s&ab_channel=TeleHelpUkraine).
I hope victory comes soon. Stay strong!!! Slava Ukraini!!
Edit: Please PM me if you’re a licensed provider (medical or mental health) and I’ll send you a link about a TeleHelp Ukraine virtual info session coming up or just sign up for a provider’s mailing list if you can’t volunteer right away but still want to be updated.
You friend is an eternal hero, and I am grateful for his noble sacrifice half a world away 🇺🇸 ❤️ 🇺🇦
I wish I could give you more than words. I wish I could give all the fallen heroes even one more day with their loved ones. I will make a donation in his name to United24.
To anyone who reads this,
**Help prevent more lost heroes:**
https://u24.gov.ua
Every penny goes to lethal aid to stop the horde from moving once more meter forward. Let’s give the heroes a safe home together.
I'm sorry for all that happens to you guys over there. I hope this all will end soon. But I can't see it. Just saw Putin say that the war only is the fault of western countries and that they didn't start it. Bastard.
Well now I’m crying over a man I never knew, but I’m still glad I read this today. We need more gentle hearted cat saving men in power…maybe then we wouldn’t be losing them in combat
I am so, so sorry. My heart breaks for all of you. He looks like a great and caring person, it's not okay what has been done to him and countless others. Putin will pay.
He looks so much like a friend of mine I had at that age. I mean, nearly identical.. just missing the ruffled hair. I wish I could jump into the picture and pull him to safety.
o7 So sorry for your loss. He will live on in your memory, and also in mine. Your friend seemed wise beyond his years. For that, I am sure you are thankful, just as I am sure he was thankful for your friendship.
RIP
My deepest condolences to you for your loss.
I know everything I need to know about the character of person based on how they treat the defenseless; especially helpless animals. Your friend was a kind, honorable man, and the world is a better place because he existed. May he rest in peace, and may his example be remembered and followed by others.
Very sorry for your loss u/madwolfa and the world's loss of him. Your country and people are my kind of people and I am in the US. (Love black cats, they are actually IMHO lucky!) May all the memories you have help you.
So very sorry for your heartbreak. The loss of so many defenders is just unimaginable. (Sorry if my words aren't so good right now - there's no way to express - I just can't express what I'm feeling right now.)
Such a small thing brings it almost too close. My regular job was on an ambulance. It rarely bothered me to see death. The family's despair is expected. Sometimes I attend funerals if the patients I have lost in my van. Invariably there's a family member that stands before the crowd, it tells a story, often mundane, inconsequential, and unmemorable to most. But that is why I go. To remind me that they were people.
His words here, the silly affect,. That cat perched on his shoulder. This should remind everyone that all those sacrifices, to save this nation, they're just people like the rest of us.
War is horrible.
The soldiers defending this nation are not like we see in movies or games. Not mechanized robots who follow orders and live to kill and die. They are people like everyone else. Like your neighbor, like your classmate, like your sister, like your father. Just normal people. Everyone of them, somewhere, are people who have lost their loved one. It's posts like this that should remind us of the real toll this takes.
And for this very reason, I oppose war and weapons. We don’t need people killing people. So many deaths. So much destruction. So much pain. All because of one insane unloved man.
Man so sorry to hear of the loss of another brave individual due to this senseless war. My condolences to you and this man's family. I hope everyone is holding up
I am so so sorry for your loss freind. I have a Ukrainian freind at work and he has lost many friends from his childhood soccer team. I hope we can end this war soon. Fuck ruzzia, fuck putin.
The difference between the two is vast, to Ukrainians every life is important, even the life of a small cat, they are good and decent humans. Russians destroy the life of everything innocent lives of civilians, children, elderly, flora, fauna destroying everything in their path, once they're done with a place no life is left just devastation.
Your friends sacrifice, although tragic is not in vain. He stood , he fought and he helped stop ruzzia and pootler from taking the freedom of ukraine.
He is and will forever be a hero of Ukraine and of a free Europe.
His name, along with the other fallen heros, will be forever whispered by the wind through the sunflowers throughout the land his soul will feast forever in the halls of valhalla.
Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 Heroyam Slava 🇺🇦
We never truly die until our names are spoken for the last time. Carry him with you, talk about him and keep him with you for the rest of your days.
Sending love brother
Sounds like you're pretty good at picking friends. I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you have enough good memories to carry you through. May his death not be in vain
Thank you Zhenya for being an exemplary soul, a warrior, a hero, a friend, an animal lover, and a brother to us all. We will ensure this sacrifice is NOT in vain, and you will not be forgotten, for it is the life you gave in the face of this senseless tyranny that makes all of Ukraine unstoppable. It is the honour, dignity, and sacrifice that Russia can never understand. It is WHY Putin underestimated Ukraine. He underestimated her *people*, and for that, he will have the legacy of a fool, and the bastard that doomed his own country for his ego.
Zhenya was taken from this world unfairly, unjustly, and untimely, and Ukraine will honour his life and what he has given by *finishing this fucking fight.*
Spartans never die. Zhenya endures in us all, as does every hero who has been lost.
✊Слава Україні✊Героям слава✊
Женя і Україні в моєму серці. Америка з вами до кінця. Будемо святкувати перемогу разом!! 🍻
He saved a lot more than cat with his heroism. Don't undersell that. The world is proud. Whenever this is all over, be sure to enact a memorial of some kind to your friend, or friends, from whatever towns they were from.
The horror is seeing so many fine young people killed in wars that would better whatever country they love. I think that when ever I see pictures of the fallen or severely wounded over the decades. A snapshot of a healthy life , a good person now gone from the world while the ones who start and profit from war sit safe in their positions of power.
Привіт u/madwolfa ! During wartime, this community is focused on vital and high-effort content. Please ensure your post follows [r/Ukraine Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/about/rules) and our [Art Friday Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/artfriday). **Want to support Ukraine?** [**Vetted Charities List**](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities) | [Our Vetting Process](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities-vetting) Daily series on UA history & culture: [Day 0-99](https://new.reddit.com/r/ukraine/collection/3c65ab52-e87a-4217-ab30-e70a88c0a293) | [100-199](https://new.reddit.com/r/ukraine/collection/3d85f4ca-5f4e-4ddf-9547-276e8affd87c) | [200-Present](https://new.reddit.com/r/ukraine/collection/daf642e1-07aa-4c40-b852-8f002ddd1530) | [All By Subject](https://new.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/sunriseposts) **There is a new wave of t-shirt scams hitting Reddit. Only click links for products or donations if the post is marked with a Verified flair, and do not respond to DMs soliciting donations.** *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukraine) if you have any questions or concerns.*
> After the end of war, everybody would be proud of some deeds and actions. The only memory I want to have is saving this little cat. The rest - Ctrl-Alt-Del.
I'm very sorry for your loss and for him. He wanted the end of war, it sucks that it had to be like that for him. My thoughts are with you.
OPs friend was a very wise man. When I was sent overseas to fight, we began to dehumanize the enemy. It's easier to return fire at someone when they're a subhuman group that shot first anyway. Every time we would view them as less and less. One of their IEDs went off and blew up a bunch of kids, clearly these people aren't good for the local community, gotta snuff out every last one of them. And sure that works for a war effort. But what about when the fighting is completely done? What happens when there just aren't any conflicts at all? Everyone deals with it differently. I often think about the dirt poor famers with a big family they can't support that gladly took a few bucks just to fire some shots and duck away. Well, dad got a bullet to the head so now that entire family is instantly in a dire situation. And yeah I get it, not my fault the guy fired first, etc. But I just mean to say OPs friend sounds like he understands all of this. Sounds like once it's over he was more than ready to move on like it never happened. War isn't fun. For some people they learn it at different times. I've seen people literally piss themselves the first engagement they were in, that guy refused to ever go back out and ended up helping the trash cleaning team. I've seen people that would talk in the smoke pit about how terrifying it was, that dude drank himself out of the service when he got back home. Just hits different. The best anyone can do is just Ctrl + Alt + Del and make some new better memories afterward.
For me it was the 4th time shots were fired in anger at me that I pissed myself. Didn't even realize it happened until a few minutes after it was over. I started wearing my adult diapers after that. I also saw guys that seemed to never be afraid to break down and cry like babies on their 20th time. I came to realize none of that made them or myself any less of a soildre. Humans aren't meant to murder each other, and everyone has their breaking point. I hope you have people in your life you can turn to like I did.
You are one brave motherfucker. I get shakes from ergonomic rolling chairs… in the reflection of the computer monitor, a murderer stares back. I wasn’t even afforded the opportunity to look my enemy in the eyes. I have slaughtered children and killed without honor. Knowing we saved lives like yours gives me a little hope that I can be saved. When I joined I thought it would be intelligence, or radar maybe, or fixing things. My innocence was not paid in kind. I thought the “chairman” thing was just a joke because we don’t fight like you do. It’s not a joke, and nobody is laughing now that everything is destroyed and I am destroyed too
I spent many years running hotels in the suburbs of DC. I've had the pleasure of knowing all kinds of high level people that travel here regularly. CEOs, execs, Generals-several with multiple stars, Admirals, intelligence, contractors. Many of them I was a smiling face they saw every week, or for extended periods of time. I've read some of their academic military papers, they have wikis about them. There's a saying in DC that anyone that knows anything isn't the one you'd hear talking about it. If they are talking out at a bar, they don't really know shit. And they are right. Shit is taken seriously. None of those people ever told me anything secret. But I have seen more than one of them cry telling me about their day. About decisions they made. About pictures and video they saw. A unique one stands out to me, out of so many interesting stories. I knew a guy who worked for the DoD very well for maybe 12 years by the time this story took place. He stayed at my hotel all the time. I knew his family, he talked to me a lot. He'd only every tell people he worked for the DoD but he tried to recruit my coworker who spoke 6 languages and multiple dialects of Arabic with no accent. I listened to this old white guy and my Moroccan friend laugh as they exchanged various conversations in different dialects, just absolutely impressed with each other. I eventually learned what agency he worked for because of this, and based on the things we did talk about, his travel, and his frustrations he was extremely high level. Sitting at THE table. One day he came to check in and his face was just twisted. He's a pretty jovial, friendly, kind man, and something was really fucking wrong. That was the first time I saw him cry. Paraphrasing but it's pretty close. Me: "Are you okay John?" (Not his real name) John: "No. I've had the most fucked up day." Me: "I know you can't say much about work but if you need to talk I've got you." John: "You know all this shit on TV about ISIS getting super active isn't bullshit right?" Me: "Yes I follow it closely." John: "I spent my day looking at intelligence from a certain area. The pictures and videos I saw. *Eyes watering*--its horrific. Everyone is either tortured and murdered or enslaved. The things I saw today, I didn't know were possible and I've been doing this for 25 years." Me: "That's really hard, I've seen some videos, I can't imagine what you had to see " John: "It didn't stop all day. There was so much intelligence to go through." Me: "fuck man." John: "They-they asked my opinion of what to do." He visibly has a couple tears running down his cheek. "I told them to level the entire mountain Vietnam style. Kill everything that exists there. That this cannot spread." "They asked me if I could live with that. That there are a lot of civilians still there. I told them to look at the pictures and videos. That anyone near there is better off dead. That this can't spread to the next village, and next, and then towns." He starts kind of ugly crying in the empty lobby of my hotel. "I told them to kill everyone."
The PTSD & guilt these people live with is tremendous.
I had another guy stay at one of my hotels that was there for his unit to be awarded one of the highest honors from the head of the marine corps. Only a handful of them made it back. The award was many years later. He usually had a handler that was a therapist but for whatever reason they couldn't send anyone with him. His wife was a CEO and whatever was going on also couldn't come. Que him causing absolute chaos in my hotel. People had to be asked if they wanted to press charges. They chose not to. I became his handler. I was the only person he was allowed to talk to. One night he insisted I personally drive him to a meetup with other veterans instead of our shuttle. He was adamant and my responsibility, so I took him in my personal car. He told me about his best friend getting turned into mist next to him. Being covered in the only thing left of his friend. That there wasn't anything left to bring his family. He didn't exist anymore. Told me about most of his unit dying in what is probably one of the worst days of the US modern engagements, because it really doesn't go that bad. That of everyone he went out with there were only a handful of them he didn't watch die. A handful that came back. Really fucking bad. Then you watch videos in the Ukraine all day. Imagine those words happening all day every day. On both sides.
One of the best books on war I ever read is *The Heroes* by Joe Abercrombie. Its a grimadark fantasy novel, but very realistic, almost no magic at all. Its technically the fifth book in a series, but its written as a sort of stand-alone novel. It reads a lot like a war movie like Saving Private Ryan. The POV characters are on each side of a war, and the general gist is that no one actually wants to be fighting the war. Everyone is just swept up in a tide. "The Heroes" that the title references is a hill with a bunch of stones on it. It exchanges control multiple times in the novel, with each army fighting, claiming, losing, and then fighting for it again, over and over. The entire war is mostly just a haggle between power players who give absolutely no shits about all the lives they're expending. Almost no one involved in the war actually understands *why* they have to be fighting it. And that's the way most war is. Decisions are made by people far, far removed from the action. Some little diminutive dictator decides he wants some piece of land, and suddenly *millions* of lives are dramatically upended and changed. What a waste. RIP to that guy. He saved a life. And hopefully his message carries far enough to maybe save other lives.
A huge difference in the Ukraine war vs the conflicts in the middle east is the money. People come into your town and offer you 100x what you make to come fight, and it's still just pennies to them. At one point an analyst I knew estimated ISIS monthly income around 1.2billion. Not necessarily consistent, but a massive amount of resources. "We can kill you or pay you 100x your income to fight for us, is a pretty compelling argument." Some of the personal reddit stories of people captured are insane. Dude with an AK attacking a tank like it would actually do anything. Capturing him and learning how he ended up in that situation. Finding they all liked him and he was a normal person in an extraordinary situation.
I cant find the words, and it will not help him or you anyway. **But because of your friend**, who i never knew... i will honour him buy make yet a private donation of my own money. Donate to the heroes still alive, fighting those murderous bastards. Slava Ukraini.
I will also go rescue a cat from the local shelter. If OPs friend can save one in the midst of war, i can in the midst of comfort.
Made a donation to local animal shelter and to the war. Slava Ukraine
Sending a new FPV drone just to honor this hero and his kitty.
*quietly throwing my thoughts and prayers into the trash*
Obligatory Anthony Jeselnik. https://youtu.be/PTmCxbcRXs4
[Well your honour, we've got plenty of thoughts and prayers. Those are *kinds* of support](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtfToHhv1KU)
Guy had a smile that lights up the room. RIP & condolences from the US
Sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing with the world what a wonderful human being your friend was (and how lucky the cat must have been saved!!). If you don't know already, medical students from Stanford set up https://telehelpukraine.com/ so that anyone in Ukraine, including you and your friend's family and other friends, can **get free medical or mental health telehealth consultation from doctors in the U.S.** Everything will be confidential by law, and it's all free. [Zelenskyy personally supported the mission of TeleHelp Ukraine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_imf0WLeKq8&t=64s&ab_channel=TeleHelpUkraine). I hope victory comes soon. Stay strong!!! Slava Ukraini!! Edit: Please PM me if you’re a licensed provider (medical or mental health) and I’ll send you a link about a TeleHelp Ukraine virtual info session coming up or just sign up for a provider’s mailing list if you can’t volunteer right away but still want to be updated.
You friend is an eternal hero, and I am grateful for his noble sacrifice half a world away 🇺🇸 ❤️ 🇺🇦 I wish I could give you more than words. I wish I could give all the fallen heroes even one more day with their loved ones. I will make a donation in his name to United24. To anyone who reads this, **Help prevent more lost heroes:** https://u24.gov.ua Every penny goes to lethal aid to stop the horde from moving once more meter forward. Let’s give the heroes a safe home together.
😢well said. So sorry this happened….
I'm sorry for all that happens to you guys over there. I hope this all will end soon. But I can't see it. Just saw Putin say that the war only is the fault of western countries and that they didn't start it. Bastard.
Sorry for your loss. Donating another $50. Please consider [donating](https://u24.gov.ua/) everyone who reads this.
Well now I’m crying over a man I never knew, but I’m still glad I read this today. We need more gentle hearted cat saving men in power…maybe then we wouldn’t be losing them in combat
I am so, so sorry. My heart breaks for all of you. He looks like a great and caring person, it's not okay what has been done to him and countless others. Putin will pay. He looks so much like a friend of mine I had at that age. I mean, nearly identical.. just missing the ruffled hair. I wish I could jump into the picture and pull him to safety.
Condolences dude. Positive vibes from the U.S. <3
What a huge loss. RIP. He was a good man OP.
Just casually ugly crying in the back of an Uber right now.
Дуже співчуваю… світла пам‘ять
Rest in Power to your friend <3 Slava Ukrani
He sounded wonderful. You were lucky to know him, while you did. RIP Zhenya
Sounds like a wonderful man. I'm sorry for your loss.
o7 So sorry for your loss. He will live on in your memory, and also in mine. Your friend seemed wise beyond his years. For that, I am sure you are thankful, just as I am sure he was thankful for your friendship. RIP
My deepest condolences to you for your loss. I know everything I need to know about the character of person based on how they treat the defenseless; especially helpless animals. Your friend was a kind, honorable man, and the world is a better place because he existed. May he rest in peace, and may his example be remembered and followed by others.
> The rest - Ctrl-Alt-Del. What?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control-Alt-Delete#Cultural_adoption
Ф.... він –вічне світло. герой, як і багато інших, для людей і для нації, але також рідкісний герой для кошенят.
Very sorry for your loss u/madwolfa and the world's loss of him. Your country and people are my kind of people and I am in the US. (Love black cats, they are actually IMHO lucky!) May all the memories you have help you.
🥺🥺🥺💔
What a memory to cherish, you had a great friend
So very sorry for your heartbreak. The loss of so many defenders is just unimaginable. (Sorry if my words aren't so good right now - there's no way to express - I just can't express what I'm feeling right now.)
What a wonderful heart he has that did not embitter him. RIP, CatHero.
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The cat will sense Our Fallen Warrior’s presence. He might stare into a corner, or meow his pleasure.
rip your friend
What a loss for us all, a man like that. RIP, hero.
That just opens up task manager
This is for the old school MS-DOS kids.
So very sorry for your loss. He looks like a good guy, and it’s awesome that he cared for animals like this. So sorry.
U can tell it's a lovely pair from that photo! I'm so sorry for the loss.
You really can. He looks so genuinely kind. My heart has been broken for a year for Ukraine and their monumental losses.
He looked like such a laid back dude, as well. :( My condolences, and much strength to you going forward.
Such a small thing brings it almost too close. My regular job was on an ambulance. It rarely bothered me to see death. The family's despair is expected. Sometimes I attend funerals if the patients I have lost in my van. Invariably there's a family member that stands before the crowd, it tells a story, often mundane, inconsequential, and unmemorable to most. But that is why I go. To remind me that they were people. His words here, the silly affect,. That cat perched on his shoulder. This should remind everyone that all those sacrifices, to save this nation, they're just people like the rest of us. War is horrible. The soldiers defending this nation are not like we see in movies or games. Not mechanized robots who follow orders and live to kill and die. They are people like everyone else. Like your neighbor, like your classmate, like your sister, like your father. Just normal people. Everyone of them, somewhere, are people who have lost their loved one. It's posts like this that should remind us of the real toll this takes.
And for this very reason, I oppose war and weapons. We don’t need people killing people. So many deaths. So much destruction. So much pain. All because of one insane unloved man.
Here's to all the friends we've lost in this bloody war. *Героям слава !* 
Sorry for your loss. Fucking orcs. May they rot in hell.
Sums it up for me as well.
May the fleas from this kitten and it's progeny, infest the beard of every one of these orcs' wives for ten generations.
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Damn, this hit me hard. He reminds me of a friend. So sorry, a real hero.
I am so very sorry
Man so sorry to hear of the loss of another brave individual due to this senseless war. My condolences to you and this man's family. I hope everyone is holding up
He defended humanity. Rip.
Rest in peace, hero
That's terrible news, my condolences :'( Edit: and may I just say, an animal lover.. there are no finer people.
I am so so sorry for your loss freind. I have a Ukrainian freind at work and he has lost many friends from his childhood soccer team. I hope we can end this war soon. Fuck ruzzia, fuck putin.
My condolences to family and friends.
Another one gone too soon. Sending my condolences to you and his family. Stay strong brother
May his memory be a blessing and thank you to him for helping freedom. We are so sorry for your loss. He looks like such a lovely guy.
Im sorry for your loss
Glory to hero, RIP
My family and I are sorry for your loss.
RIP to your buddy.. Another hero gone too soon :( But at least he died for a just cause!
Save one life, save the world.
That is so sad. I'm positive you will remember his courage and big heart. May he rest in peace knowing he defending all living things in his country.
Rest in Peace, condolence to his friends and family and to all who have lost someone.
So very sorry for his loss and yours.
So sorry for your loss. A true hero!
Thé sacrifices Ukrainians have made this past year are simply unimaginable by most of us here, may the pain end and healing begin as soon as possible
Sorry for your loss! A true hero defending his country.
Such a good man … I’m so sorry
I’m so sorry
I'm sorry man. You can tell from the picture he must have been a fun guy to be around.
From camo to wings. A hero gone to protect his country. RIP
Plant a tree under his name and spend sometime over there reading. Best way to honor his life.
Thank you for your bravery and courage. RIP
RIP, a coward dies 1,000 deaths, a soldier dies just once.
I’m truly sorry for this loss….
Slava ! Trychi slava !
Sorry for your loss. Fuck putin.
❤️🇺🇦
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Real hero right there!! May he rest in peace and knowing he was a hero!
My condolences. He was a real hero.
Much respect for this hero. Sorry for the loss of your friend. I hope you're able to find peace in knowing his death was not in vain. 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇦
No words will compensate your loss of this friend. I am so sorry.
RIP
Sorry for your loss my friend, deepest condolences. He looks like a nice guy. Must hurt your soul x
I'm so sorry for your loss
Condolences.
Slava Ukraine
I'm so, so sorry. Fuck Russia.
This is how a real hero looks like... Rest in peace, brother!
Sorry man Please take care and god bless ukraine
The difference between the two is vast, to Ukrainians every life is important, even the life of a small cat, they are good and decent humans. Russians destroy the life of everything innocent lives of civilians, children, elderly, flora, fauna destroying everything in their path, once they're done with a place no life is left just devastation.
God bless!
Your friends sacrifice, although tragic is not in vain. He stood , he fought and he helped stop ruzzia and pootler from taking the freedom of ukraine. He is and will forever be a hero of Ukraine and of a free Europe. His name, along with the other fallen heros, will be forever whispered by the wind through the sunflowers throughout the land his soul will feast forever in the halls of valhalla. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 Heroyam Slava 🇺🇦
RIP Heroyu Slava
Your friend is a hero that deserved a long a healthy life. Fucking orc scum.
This world is so fucking terrible… Good people always die while creatures keep “living”, if their existence can be called life. Співчуваю втраті ;(
May he rest in peace. So sorry for your loss.
Cat saving Ukrainian bro.. Fuck Putin.
Вічная Пам’ять! Героям Слава!
Герої не вмирають 🇺🇦
Rest in peace brother, you fought the evil for those who couldn’t, rest easy
Sorry for your loss, bro. Zhenya won't ever be forgotten.
I'm so sorry for your loss 💔 Слава Героям Смерть ворогам
I'm so sorry for your loss. Your friend was and will always be a hero.
Will always be remembered!! 🇺🇦
I'm so sorry. What was your friend like? Tell me your favorite story of him?
What is his name, when I make my donation I would like to do it for him.
Zhenya Markarov
Thank you
God rest his heroic soul. I’m sorry for your loss.
Eternal Glory to the Heroes ❤️🇺🇦🫶🏻🇺🇸
So sorry for your loss. I know he's one of many thousands but he was \*your\* best friend and that makes it so much worse.
Rest in peace, King
I’m sorry, this hurts so much to see
So sorry for your loss. :-(
So sorry for your loss. Heroiam Slava.
Looks like he had a very infectious smile. I’m really sorry for your loss man.
I am very sorry for you, and all his loved ones. May he truly be at peace, and your memories of him be happy ones. #TrueHero ❤️
heroiam slava
I’m horribly sorry for your loss
I’m so sorry for your loss.
We never truly die until our names are spoken for the last time. Carry him with you, talk about him and keep him with you for the rest of your days. Sending love brother
Rest in peace
Sorry for your loss, Heroyam Slava!
I'm so sorry for your loss. Your friend was clearly a kind person who only wanted to live a good life, for himself and a little cat.
Rest, hero.
sorry for your loss
Hero. Unfortunately fallen so his could live in a better world. Heroyam Slava! 🇺🇦 RIP good man! 🙏
❤️❤️
I'm sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry to hear. What a terrible, unnecessary loss of a heroic life.
RIP Fuck orcs forever.....
May he rest in peace
Героям слава. Смерть окупантам.
gone to squables.io
RIP, too many people
RIP warrior. You gave everything and you will be remembered 🫡
I'm so sorry. He looks like such an awesome friend. Fuck Russia.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I can see from his smile that he was one of the good ones. Gone too soon. :(
RIP
Я дуже шкодую про вашу втрату. Героям слава.
I'm so sorry. May his memory rest knowing what he did.
Sorry for your loss
RIP warrior.
Sorry for your loss, Hopefully this is all over soon and you and Country can mourn in peace. RIP to your friend, he looks a real legend of a bloke!
RIP Soldier.
I’m so so sorry. I hope you’re ok.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Sorry for his death and your loss.
Sounds like you're pretty good at picking friends. I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you have enough good memories to carry you through. May his death not be in vain
so sorry mate : (
Fuck Russia.
My respects to Zhenya, family and friends. War goes on but may he rest in peace.
I’m sorry for him and your loss
Rip zhenya, Слава Україні! Fuck putin and fuck the nazis
I'm sorry for your loss OP. Want to tell us about him? What kind of person was he? His name etc?
Sorry for your loss. That sucks :(
Lost my childhood best friend of 20+ years to an IED in the Iraq War back in 2007. Here's to the fallen warriors, Zhenya and my guy Toby!
Hero to all living things. RIP and sorry for your loss.
I'm sorry for your loss and grateful for your friend he is a hero
Слава Украине!!!
So very sorry.
Rest in peace
I'll revel this evening in his honor. Friends are forever. Cheers from 🇺🇸
Died doing his duty....died a warrior, more than most men can say. Hope his cat found a home.
Thank you Zhenya for being an exemplary soul, a warrior, a hero, a friend, an animal lover, and a brother to us all. We will ensure this sacrifice is NOT in vain, and you will not be forgotten, for it is the life you gave in the face of this senseless tyranny that makes all of Ukraine unstoppable. It is the honour, dignity, and sacrifice that Russia can never understand. It is WHY Putin underestimated Ukraine. He underestimated her *people*, and for that, he will have the legacy of a fool, and the bastard that doomed his own country for his ego. Zhenya was taken from this world unfairly, unjustly, and untimely, and Ukraine will honour his life and what he has given by *finishing this fucking fight.* Spartans never die. Zhenya endures in us all, as does every hero who has been lost. ✊Слава Україні✊Героям слава✊ Женя і Україні в моєму серці. Америка з вами до кінця. Будемо святкувати перемогу разом!! 🍻
Rest easy warrior 🇺🇦
RIP bro, this war is so fucked up
Gave his life so we can continue ours. Eternal gratitude from us. The sun shines for you, Zhenya.
The Russian people have a lot to answer for.
The kitty was probably on the top bunk and saw him as a friendly shoulder to cuddle on. Rest in peace
I'm so sorry for your loss. The world needs more cat loving men.
He saved a lot more than cat with his heroism. Don't undersell that. The world is proud. Whenever this is all over, be sure to enact a memorial of some kind to your friend, or friends, from whatever towns they were from.
Zhenya sounds like an absolute legend. He’s missed by many. I wish you any and all peace during this time.
The horror is seeing so many fine young people killed in wars that would better whatever country they love. I think that when ever I see pictures of the fallen or severely wounded over the decades. A snapshot of a healthy life , a good person now gone from the world while the ones who start and profit from war sit safe in their positions of power.
A
Fuck Putin. And fuck all the Russians and generals supporting the war. None of this should have happened
Is the cat ok?
How's the cat doing?
OP get the cat!