The Wife of Maksym Nikulin of Azov is Expecting a Child. As well as His Return from Russian Prison

Svoi talked to Olena, who told the story of a chance meeting — that instantly turned into love — with Maksym on one of the websites, as well as about the war and capture of her beloved one.

There Were Legends about the Training of Azov Fighters

Olena is a native of Mariupol and Maksym is from Dnipro, but for the past five years he lived in the city on the Azov Sea shores while serving in the 503rd Separate Marine Corps Battalion.

"We met on a dating website. One day I was sitting in a hairdressing salon, lightening my hair; that takes several hours. I just visited the website out of boredom, thinking ‘Well, I’d have fun, read compliments, and that’s it’ for I had no serious plans. Meanwhile, Maksym was coming back from rotation by some kind of a military train; they usually make a detour, so he also just wanted to kill time on the website. We met, had some coffee — and got married in already five months. Everything happened quite easily and quickly for us, there weren’t any hesitations. It was immediately clear that he was the one. I have a five-year-old son from my previous marriage, and Yaroslav got quickly used to him too and started calling Maksym dad".

Maksym and Olena in peaceful Mariupol

About one year ago, Maksym joined Azov since he wanted to continue his military career and there were legends about the level of training in this unit. It turned out that Azov fighters do train in a completely different way, are more motivated, and have got rid of all the Soviet disadvantages of regular military service.

"Yaroslav got a cool dad and I got a beloved husband. I loved our life together".

Azov Fighters Evacuated Their Relatives in Advance

According to Olena, Azov was of course preparing for the war. Still, that was a calm, balanced preparation. She says that in their family, there was no panic or pressure prevailing in Ukraine in the last days prior the full-scale invasion. At that time, Olena already knew about her pregnancy and dreamt of a happy motherhood.

"We’d discussed various scenarios of possible events and what an emergency backpack should include. A few days prior the war, my husband went on combat mission; of course, he didn’t tell me the details, but it wasn’t for the first time and it didn’t scare me. It was later that I understood that for Azov the war began a bit earlier than on February 24. Herewith, all my friends, colleagues, and residents of Mariupol reacted in two ways: either “ahhhh it’s war, what should we do” or “nothing will happen to Mariupol.” In recent years, Mariupol changed incredibly — we didn't recognize it ourselves. People believed that the oligarchs had agreed on the city, because otherwise they wouldn’t have invested so much money into the new roads, buses with Wi-Fi, renovation of hospitals, and benches enabling charging the phone just in the park. The city really changed".

Maksym with his son Yaroslav

Olena recalls that about a week prior the invasion, Azov fighters started organizing evacuation buses for their families.

“I refused because nothing was actually happening, why should I leave? Besides, I’m a civil servant — I couldn't just go".

I Felt as if a Piece of My Heart Was Being Cut Off

How did Olena remember the day when Russia invaded Ukrainian territory? At around 6 a.m., they wrote in the kindergarten chat that children should not come on February 24, because the institution will not be open.

“And then, for the first time, I started to panic, because I had no idea what to do with an active child in the middle of the working week. But an hour later the work was also canceled. The windows of our apartment on the sixth floor were shaking due to shelling. Together with my son Yaroslav I was sitting in the corridor between two walls, wearing shoes just in case. I didn’t actually understand where we’d go, but I was absolutely ready to run. Due to specific Mariupol relief, the war could be heard very well, even when the fighting was going on somewhere in the villages. Since 2014, we’ve all learned to distinguish between something flying to us and something flying away. So on February 24, it was clear that the fighting was already very close to the city, and both artillery and something from the sea were working simultaneously. Then, for the first time in my life, I heard an air-raid siren, because there was aviation too”.

And then the woman grabbed her things, took her child, and went to her mother living in a private house with a basement. A few hours later, Maksym wrote that in 15 minutes some transport would arrive, and he begged his beloved one to leave the city. On the evening of February 24, Olena and her son left by evacuation bus. It turned out to be the last one.

"It felt like a piece of my heart was being cut off. I didn't even imagine that I was so attached to the city, to our apartment, to all kinds of household trinkets. I’d always thought I was a get-up-and-go person, that I like travelling, and then it turned out that I cry for plates and blankets. Probably because those were not just simple things, but our home, where everything was done with soul and love”.

Translation:

Love you sweetie. In my every dream I’m hugging you and Yarik.
Miss you much.

Ordeal across the Country

At night Maksym’s friend picked them up in Zaporizhzhia by car and took them to Dnipro, to Olena’s mother-in-law.

“We stayed there for three weeks, I hardly remember them, because I was sobbing all the time. Those air raid sirens rang endlessly, spring was snowy and rainy, and because of this I never liked Dnipro”.

At that time, her communication with her husband was quite stable. Maksym called Olena, wrote her — though not so often because of the lack of time.

“At some point Maksym said that we should leave Dnipro, because there already was shelling somewhere in the region. We went to Ternopil by an evacuation train. I have distant relatives in the village of Berezhany district, whom I’d never seen or even talked to before the war, I just knew that I had them. Then it was time to get to know each other. We stayed in the village for about a month, but it is so remote and has just a cemetery, a church, and a shop. And a bus once a day. Neither pharmacies nor hospitals. Nothing. During further pregnancy periods I had to take tests, it got difficult to take buses for an hour and a half, and I found an apartment in Ternopil, closer to civilization”.

Talked about Something Really Important

Spouses’ communication got less frequent. There was a moment when Olena did not hear from her beloved one for two weeks — Maksym was already at the metallurgical plant Azovstal then. Sometimes, a woman was written back by one of her husband’s brothers-in-arms.

“During our conversations, we mainly talked about how Yaroslav felt in a new place, about my health, how our baby in my belly felt, about the tests results, future name options (the gender isn’t yet known), and how we missed each other. We almost didn't talk about military issues, I deliberately didn’t ask about that since messengers are not reliable. That’s the first thing, and second, mobile connection could be lost at any moment, and we wanted to talk about something really important”.

The last time Maksym and Olena chatted was May 14.

Translation:

Hi, my loved, dearest ones (smile)
I’m alive, intact. Miss you much. How’d you do kids?

A few days later, he and other Azov fighters left the metallurgical plant. In fact, about 2,500 fighters were captured by Russia. Maksym Nikulin arrived in the colony of Olenivka village located in the Russian-controlled territory of Donetsk region, in one of the first buses with Azov regiment soldiers.

“He’s intact, has no injuries. As of today, I know that the seriously wounded fighters will be the first to be exchanged, and then everyone else. I wish that Maksym could be present at the birth, so that he would be the first to hold our child in his arms. I love him very much and I'm waiting for him desperately!”

Now the woman is five months pregnant. The baby, whose name mom and dad have yet to choose, is due to be born in October. Meanwhile, relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war created the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders. In their statements, they emphasize the return of all defenders of Mariupol to Ukraine, as well as the bodies of all fallen heroes, whose relatives will bury them with honors.