On the way to the hotel "Express" the walls are covered with leaflets "Waiting room for servicemen". In the spacious hall on the third floor there is a kettle and a TV. In the ordinary station chairs, the cadets with VSP bandages are seated, buried in the phones, next to the military one, a little further - two volunteers communicate. So it was not always.

Over 2.5 years, the "Southern Post" hosted and conducted about 35,000 military. Hundreds of chevrons and dozens of signed flags, which densely afflicted the room, store the stories of people: both happy and sometimes tragic. Here and now, to the sound of departing trains, its life flows, not like the one that passes outside the station.

Volunteer Tatiana Larina broke away from work for a short while. The number of stories that had to be experienced with every military man is drawn to several volumes of the novel. About how soldiers at the station fed a large family from the ATU zone, about the "Berkutov", who refused to shoot on the Maidan and is still at war on the front line, about the tears of grown men and songs on the "South Post".

Now a completely different category of people - contractors or those who have already been in some kind of wave (mobilization -. "KhN"), - says Tatiana. - Yes, and the military are all provided. We used to buy bags of clothes, they dressed them on the way here, because the form was different, the shoes on the legs disintegrated, the guys got a cold ... Someone from the volunteers constantly went to the station, collected everyone, initially they did not know about us. Whom here only was not: "cyborgs", special forces, military from different divisions. We specifically invited the conscripts here to see the real fighters. It was such that they built them and sang a hymn together.

The "Southern Post" appeared in January 2015. Then (as, indeed, even now), volunteers became the link between the Donbas and peaceful Ukraine for the fighters. Here they were fed, helped to get a ticket for the train, escorted to the train and just listened - an especially important moment for a person who was in a strange city. Sometimes, volunteers were told: "You are cozy, like in a trench". Here for the military there is everything, from hot soup and ending with cots.

There were many things. Someone was going to the funeral, some were seriously ill with relatives, - Tatyana recalls.. - There were some who just came out from under fire, in whose eyes comrade was killed. I remember a guy came to us. A phone rings in his pocket - the wife of a deceased friend, and he says: "I'm afraid of picking up the phone, I do not know what to say" ... But how were they going to the wedding or the proposals were being prepared for the girls? We were brought books and toys, we always tried to give them to the one who went home, to the children. One guy said: "I'm going home, my daughter was born, I have not seen her yet, I want to bring a big toy". Soon the train, we put him in the car. Our volunteer Borya had time to try out where he was going. In that city there were our colleagues. We contacted them, the military was met with a huge toy.

Tatyana says the most difficult thing is to see off fighters. But the great happiness of seeing them again alive, healthy and unbroken.

While we are talking, a man in civilian clothes enters the hall with a large bag in his hand.

- I'm in the Zaporozhye region, and the train is at two o'clock in the morning. Can I stay with you? - asks.

- Wow, you need a lot of fun!. Would you like tea? - Volunteer Nikolai Mokh is interested in.

He is a well-known in Kharkov theater actor. Nikolai Ivanovich came here from the Maidan.

Men are not important with the boys, the same I - that is, the professor's salary, the living standard, the people's bacchus vidrazu. Chi vin zaklopotany, chi sumy, chi merry, will go to contact, chi ni. Pідійду, спитаю: куди їдеш, як of the right of the house. Aly ardently guarded, to the same rosomity, but such a bouti all the hour with pendants, on the front lines. Nі z іkim u mene nіkoli not bulo confliktu. Yakshcho lyudina not sprimayє - not the desire to fall into the soul, nekha spokiyno vidpochiva, - says the volunteer actor.

He remembers how a day here were taken for a hundred or more military. Did not have time to feed some, as others have already come, and the hall was littered with backpacks. Now the fighters began to go less and less, and even the volunteers at the "South Post" were reduced.

At my glance, our robot is here, at the station, vzhe passed into that stage, if you want to crunch the tracks, - says Nikolai Ivanovich. - Hloptsiv little - 7-12 per day. Al at us bahato eksponativ, yaki trebery zberegti for majbutnih pokolin ', zrobiti museum. Here the chevron of the clapper znyav zi his shoulder and giving. Here the spirit of the people, її серце, нерви. Won in such a joy to come and lie-and here ше chevron of our brigade? It's possible that the bobo would not play such a large scale, that people would zamochi deprive her, drink tea. And I can pardon, you can check it off if it's a kind day, which is curious for you in the Satan's Russia.

Our conversation is carefully listened to by Eugene. He lives in a volunteer station for the second day, while he is in the VLK hospital. To go on a visit to Kharkov friends is in no hurry, but also to return to the stuffy tent on the landfill too.

Here I am for the third time. Once I had to stay for three days, - says Zhenya. - You do not need to express your thoughts and emotions here.. Do not always need to talk, sometimes you want to keep silent with someone so that you do not ask questions.

The station is a specific place, especially for the military. Someone can indifferently pass by, there are also those who want to get money out of the servicemen.

One of these days there was a case: the fighter came from the ATU zone, his civilian podpoili and began to "twist" for money. The police reacted, and we repulsed him. He had a ticket for the morning. Called the authorities, arranged a holiday at the point of volunteers. All copies are, but basically adequate, - says the duty officer of the Military Service of the Law and Order Alexander.

He came from the Lugansk region, was a paratrooper, passed the ATU and in 2015 entered the Kharkiv Tank School. While the cadet recalls service in the Donbass, border guards run into the hall.

- And what can you get? - ask carefully.

"And wait for you," Nikolai Ivanovich jokingly answers..

In Kharkov, they are the first time, traveling from the Donetsk region to Zhitomir. Even the search for the station became an adventure for them in a strange city.

We went up to the commandant's office to find out about the tickets, and we were told that there is a volunteer point. We ourselves are from Chernigov. In Kharkiv have never been, but we know that this is our city, which supports us, - says one of the border guards. - We talked with carriers, but people do not care where you were and what you did - no discounts and indulgences.

They will put the phones in charge and tell a little about the situation on the CPVV in Donbass.

Immediately the military will advise them how to quickly get to the right place. And after the border guards sit down to eat hot soup. At this time on the TV screen will sound a summary of the day in the ATU area.

The "Southern Post" in the figures of 35 thousand military men took the "South Post" 100 and> the military per day was earlier than 7-12 fighters a day now arrive 3 days - the maximum time that the military had to live in the volunteer station Julia Vorona 2day. Kh. Ua.