Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin met with the parents of the deceased war correspondent Vsevolod Petrovsky, Tatyana and Vyacheslav Petrovsky, on Wednesday, February 12. Assistant to the DPR Head Elena Nikitina and Chairman of the DPR Journalists Union Viktor Petrenko also attended the meeting, the Head of State’s Office reports.

“Dear Tatyana Avenirovna and Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, I had long been hopeful to get such an opportunity to talk to you in person and hand over your son’s well-deserved state award — St. George’s Cross IV Degree.

There is not much I can say. I understand and realize that, despite the past five years, this pain of loss radiates through your present. You have raised a worthy son. Not every person is ready to take up arms. One cannot be pressured or coerced into doing this… And Vsevolod was a genuine person. He perished when helping others, and his name really deserves being immortalized not in our memory alone. This is important for future generations. He is one of our heroes who lived among us and will continue living in our memory,” said Denis Pushilin.

Further on, the Head of the Republic handed over to the parents of Vsevolod Petrovsky their son’s posthumous award — St. George’s Cross IV Degree.

In the course of the conversation, Vsevolod’s parents mentioned his son’s passions and achievements. According to his mother, his social circle had a great influence on her son’s upbringing. During a meeting with the Head of State, Vsevolod’s parents call to memory the circumstances under which he had made the decision to go to the frontline.

“He was a person of a purely humanities bent. It was beyond us how he could join the militia. He said: “My conscience does not allow us to come and go, while the guys stay in the trenches,” Tatyana Petrovskaya said.

As will be recalled, Vsevolod Petrovsky, codename Kovyl, perished on 8 February 2015 near Debaltsevo. From the first days of the Donbass resistance against the Kiev coup, he was an active participant in it, he defended the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic in the information war. He worked as a journalist, covering the heated phase of military developments. Later on he joined the Prizrak brigade.

The day he was killed, Vsevolod Petrovsky volunteered to join the group that helped to remove the wounded from the battlefield. But the Ukrainian military opened artillery fire on the militia, as a result of which he was mortally wounded.