Publications of Daria Aslamova. Daria Aslamova

The first Russian woman is a war correspondent. From the very beginning of her career, the young writer almost instantly acquired many opponents and no less admirers.

Daria Aslamova. Biography

Daria was born on September 8, 1969 in the city of Khabarovsk. Mikhail Feofanovich Aslamov (father) is a famous Khabarovsk poet. He is the chairman of the board in Khabarovsk of the Writers' Union of Russia. Very little is known about Daria's childhood years.

After graduating from the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University named after M.Yu. Lomonosov Darya Aslamova at first was a war correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda, mainly in the hot spots of Abkhazia, Chechnya, Cambodia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Yugoslavia, Ossetia, Tajikistan, Rwanda, and Mali. After she was in captivity, she devoted several reports to this event. Her favorite topic is war.

Characteristics of a journalist

Daria Aslamova is an ambitious provincial girl who came to conquer Moscow. The weapon of the young lady was her talent, light pen and cheerful disposition. All this helped her when working on her works, thanks to which she became famous. The journalist did not submit to the public that criticized her. However, the capital was conquered by Aslamova Darya.

Achievements in creativity, feats

Daria Aslamova earned the Silver Galosh in the Stars Without a Mandate nomination.

In 1999 she was a special correspondent for the AIDS-info newspaper.

Darya Aslamova is a military journalist, the only correspondent who spoke with Saddam Hussein in 2003.

In 2011, she was arrested 4 times in Egypt during a business trip.

In the spring of the same year, she had a conversation with Thierry Meyssan, who claimed that the United States, following the scenario of Georgia and Ukraine, was forcing a revolution in Egypt.

In the summer of 2012, during a trip to Turkish areas bordering Syria, a brave journalist illegally made her way to the Syrian refugee camp, where the rebel forces against Syrian President Assad were located, and was able to interview some of the leaders of the uprising.

She also had reports during her time in captivity.

The brave and desperate Daria Aslamova is very famous. Photos of her fragile figure among those sparkling in places of military operations are very popular among foreign photographers and journalists. They are willing to pay for the opportunity to make such a photo shoot.

What made Daria Aslamova famous for? "Diary of a Mean Girl"

"Notes of a Mean Girl" opened a new unusual page in the history of the national press. Here, two adventurous novels are intertwined parodically with the genre of political portrait. Well-known figures are depicted in this work: N. Travkin, R. Khasbulatov, A. Abdulov and many others. others

The refined taste of Daria A. as an artist and her personal experience as a "cheesy girl" made their bright unforgettable work. In this work, she openly and cheerfully spoke about the male temperament and the virtues of a fairly large number of well-known and at the same time respected people in the CIS, whom she once knew very well. The reading public began to accuse the journalist of licentiousness, but at the same time savored the details of the work with pleasure and interest.

Aslamova D. is known to a very wide circle of politicians, popular people.

Daria's opinion about the war and about herself

Daria Aslamova has made a good name for herself on the topics of war and sex. Her very first army report raised a lot of noise in the country (then the iron curtain had just collapsed, so they didn’t talk about sex at that time).

She herself says that when she traveled a couple of times even before the Karabakh scandal, it seemed to her that all this was “fun” and playing a brave journalist girl. At the same time, she felt like an actress playing in a film, where a good end will surely come soon, or, in extreme cases, nothing bad will happen. She was only worried about domestic difficulties and inconveniences. They got escorts of men during periods of captivity, ropes, robes.

But in general, she was not so bad in the war, because there she felt like a real lady. After all, for those who fight there, it is something exotic.

She says to herself that she is a terrible coward. At the same time, the battle for her is like a drug. She believes that everything that happens in the war (between the living and the inanimate) is almost akin to sexual feelings.

A family

Finding Daria at home is almost impossible. She is constantly traveling on business trips: sometimes in Abkhazia, sometimes in Nagorno-Karabakh, in Yugoslavia and in other places. She is a woman, but also a good military journalist.

This surprisingly fragile, but brave woman has a family: a husband and a daughter. The godmother of Sophia's daughter is (a TV journalist and presenter).

What do they say and write about Daria Aslamova?

Colleagues and close people consider her a rather cheerful and easy person. Daria does not lose her composure in difficult situations and at the same time acts deliberately and reasonably. Her successful work proves it.

In 1999, Daria Aslamova took an active part in the elections. The well-known Dmitry then wrote in the Moscow Komsomolskaya Pravda that this journalist was “Okhlobystin in a skirt”. Only there is a difference between them in that Daria writes very excitingly and her vulgarity is consistent. Daria, as a journalist, purposefully achieves her goal - to read it is both pleasant and fun.

She had a good start, says D. Bykov. As a military journalist, she is wonderful and writes interestingly. After such a stormy start (success in journalism, marriage, the birth of a daughter), she decided to become more impressive. In this regard, she entered politics, got into the Unity bloc. The writer believes that Shoigu quickly realized what this could lead to, what reputation one could get into thanks to her. Now D. Aslamova is trying to earn a status in a single-mandate constituency. Such are the arguments about the journalist.

Bibliography

In 1994, the Mean Girl Notes, which made a lot of noise, were written. And already in 1995 the second part of the work was published. In 1999, The Adventures of a Mean Girl was published. From the same series in 2001 - “Mean Girl. The adventure continues."

In 2002, two works by D. Aslamova were published: “Notes of a Crazy Journalist” and “Sweet Life”. The book "In love is like in war" was written in 2005.

Mean Girl Notes has rules for life.

The Lost (meaning Legionnaires) are a bit fatalistic. Having crossed the border, which is called "violence", they accept its laws. Their life is a chain of arranged accidents. Why are they fatalists? Because Fate has kept them many times and continues to protect them.

Here are their rules:

1. Go with the flow without resisting - it will endure somewhere anyway.

2. Never ask your comrades about the past if you don't want to listen to lies.

3. Until you are asked, do not lend a helping hand, otherwise you yourself will be to blame for everything.

4. You understand life only when you kill it.

5. Even death is included in the concept of "fullness of life."

A regular contributor to Komsomolskaya Pravda, Darya Aslamova, published an essay about her support for the Croatian national team, in which she cited racist statements by “friends” from the far-right political party National Front and supported them. There are a lot of disgruntled people on social media. For Aslamova, this is quite an ordinary article, but she used to treat black people differently.

On the night of July 15-16, immediately after the World Cup final, KP's regular contributor Daria Aslamova published an article on the newspaper's website entitled "How Africa defeated Europe, or a holiday with tears in her eyes." In this text, Aslamova told how, together with her friends, while in Croatia, she supported the national team of this country.

Daria Aslamova

In her essay, the journalist spoke about the atmosphere before the match, about how the Croatian "liberals" allegedly do not like football, and also mentioned the episode with the defender Domagoj Vida and the national team manager Ognjen Vukoevich, who after defeating the Russian team .

According to Aslamova, the whole story with the footballer's video is a provocation prepared by Vukoevich, to whom "the Ukrainians offered him a promotion."

But the attention of many readers was attracted not by these arguments, but by several paragraphs towards the end of the article, which are devoted to the French team. In this part, the journalist rejoices at the call of “friends from the National Front”, the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. According to her, they were “completely drunk at two in the afternoon” and were all rooting for Croatia.

In quotation marks, referring to the impersonal direct speech of some "friends", Alslamova cites the following text:

Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Congo, Togo, Angola. The rest are Arabs and four whites (one of them is Spaniard). What is this, France? It's not about racism, but let's not pretend it's a French team. Croats are the last white team in the championship. Our values ​​are Christianity, devotion to the motherland, European traditions. What do Africans and Arabs have to do with it?

Aslamova is not limited to this text, presented as a quotation.

According to her, her friends are victims of migration from the Middle East and Africa. According to Aslamova, this part of the French was not happy about the defeat of their team, unlike the “other France”.

It must be understood that all my friends are from the former white French provinces, long captured by migrants, where it is much easier to meet a woman in a cloak with a brood of children than a white woman.

The words about the “last white team” and other passages of Aslamova on the topic of racism provoked a sharp reaction from many readers.

The KP journalist Daria Aslamova answered me here today:

"Dear Mr. Varlamov! You spoke ironically about the facts stated in my article "Raped Sweden is ill with Stockholm syndrome."

The first rule that I was taught in the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, where I came to work at the age of 20, was: go and see. You must see everything with your own eyes. The journalist is a witness. People who say "I don't believe" or "they scare us" are not interesting to me. You are a blogger. Claim objectivity.

Try to come to Stockholm's Rinkiby district by yourself during the day (and if you are a very brave person, then in the evening) and get a camera on the main square. Or take a Friday night walk with a camera through the center of Gothenburg, take pictures of local Wahhabis who feel like they are the masters of the city. I was very lucky that, thanks to my audacity, I escaped from Rinkiby alive and even with a whole camera (I advise you to watch the video of what happened to local journalists who came there with a police escort)."

Gotta answer!

Firstly, I have been to Sweden, Norway, and other countries with migrant areas. Moreover, I regularly write about them, regular readers are aware. If Daria had carefully watched my post, she would have noticed that my article was illustrated with my own photographs of Somali refugees from Sweden. Nobody took away my camera, there were no problems, I went without the police.

But I do not exclude at all that certain journalists face problems when shooting such areas. Many migrants behave very aggressively, in Paris, too, you can’t especially raise a camera in such areas. The reasons for this behavior are different: someone is in the country illegally, someone is engaged in illegal activities and does not want to shine again. Someone simply understands why they are filming him, and does not want to become the hero of the "Rape Sweden" report.

I do not question the facts described, but, based on my experience, it seems to me that Daria exaggerated.

Secondly, the tone of the article chosen by Daria seems unacceptable to me. All these:

"... in a Turkish coffee shop there is nowhere for an apple to fall and it is black and black from the Somalis. I take out a video camera ... At the same second, thirty black men jump at once and surround me with a dense wall. I smell black sweaty skin.

Don't run. Do not look back. Smile. Never show wild animals that you are afraid of them."

It seems to me that such a level of expression does not paint an intelligent person and greatly devalues ​​the author's opinion regarding events. From the article comes through racism and hatred, because of this, the real problems that exist and that Daria touches on are blurred.

Thirdly, the question is more for Komsomolskaya Pravda than for Daria. Articles about the horrors of Western civilization regularly appear on the pages of the publication. About migrants in Germany, about the American unemployed, about the poor Greeks. This is, of course, very important. But there are residential buildings in or. And people there live like hell. I am sure that most ordinary Russians who live on beggarly wages are very interested to read about how in Sweden, a country with an incredibly high standard of living, migrants do not let the police into their area.

But back to our country, which we want to make better. We are patriots, do we want that we had a good time? For other countries to adopt our positive experience in solving various problems?

Daria writes:

"The police don't get in here. They (the locals) want to expel all representatives of the state from here. And then let them in on their own terms through negotiations with local imams...".

But in our beautiful country there are not only districts - entire regions where the police do not go. I'm sure now everyone understands what region we are talking about. And not everywhere we have Russian legislation. Well, it so happened that, on the one hand, we live in a free country, and on the other hand, if something goes wrong, they will officially burn down your house and evict your family from the region. I think everyone understands again what it is about. Daria is horrified that journalists who wanted to report on migrants have their cameras broken. But I want to remind you that journalists and human rights activists who were traveling from Ingushetia to Chechnya to report were burned down by unknown people, and they themselves were severely beaten. The victims believe that the Chechen authorities are behind the attack. The Chechen authorities deny this. However, the attackers have not been found for more than a year.


Photo: Egor Skovoroda / Mediazona

You write in your article that in Sweden people are afraid to discuss the problem because they will be accused of intolerance. In our country, if you start discussing this problem, you will first be forced to apologize (there is such a custom), and then, perhaps, you will be convicted under Article 282.

And there are migrants in our country. Yes, it's hard to believe, but they exist, and this problem is no less acute than in Sweden.

And in the light of the foregoing, regular articles in the press and stories on federal channels about the decaying West look to me very cynical in relation to ordinary Russian people. People whose problems - real problems that affect everyone - no one talks about. Because everyone is pissing to write about corruption, about the lawlessness of the judicial system, about the lack of rights of the common man, and even more so about our national problems.

While you are worried about raped Sweden, Russia is being raped under your nose.

Special correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda Daria Aslamova wrote an article about the final match of the World Cup and told how the game was perceived in Croatia, where she lives. In the text, the journalist quoted friends from France who called the Croats "the last white team" in the championship. Readers accused the author of the article of racism. In a conversation with 360, Aslamova urged to call a spade a spade.

“What do Africans have to do with it?”

On the night of July 16, an article appeared on the KP website "How Africa defeated Europe, or a Holiday with tears in its eyes." Author Daria Aslamova spoke about how Croatia perceived its participation in the World Cup final, as well as the attitude of local residents towards Russia and its people.

Despite the voluminous introduction, which said a lot of good things about Croatia's attitude to football, national pride and the unity of the people, the readers' attention was riveted by an excerpt towards the end of the article. In it, Aslamova spoke about a telephone conversation with her friends from France - supporters of Marine Le Pen, known for racist statements, and her National Front party.

Readers, among whom were many journalists and bloggers, took Daria Aslamova's article to heart and regarded it as a personal insult. She was accused of racism, intolerance, and even laughed at her name.

Racism against whites

In a conversation with 360, Daria Aslamova emphasized that in the article she expressed not her position, but the opinion of French friends from the city of Calais, one of whom turned out to be an army officer.

There is racism against whites, but it always seems to us that there is racism only against blacks. In France, real racism is against whites, and they are fighting it there

Daria Aslamova special correspondent KP.

“I actually called to ask what the situation is in France, how they are preparing for the match. They gave me an interview. These are not my words. They believe that this is not the French team. They have a serious problem in Calais, because there is a refugee camp nearby, they are afraid to let their women and children out into the streets. They don't think it's right - migration policy. That's all that was said. Am I not allowed to quote everyone? People just can't read, that's their problem. They don’t know how to listen to someone else’s opinion, they don’t imagine that the French themselves are talking about this, ”the journalist was indignant.

After the first reaction to the article, Aslamova called her French friends again and told about what had happened. In response, I received a story about what really happened in the country after the victory of France.

“They also told me what happened yesterday in France. There, two people were killed when blacks and Arabs - let's call a spade a spade - celebrated the victory. . Do you think they (the French - ed.) are happy about this, that such a French team won? They (migrants - ed.) shouted racist slogans, they say, we made you, we defeated you, whites, ”the 360 ​​interlocutor said.

The journalist does not understand why the article aroused such "living interest" among readers. Aslamova is sure that no one wants to call a spade a spade.

“The French say that they have only three white people in the national team. Country is culture. The nation is culture. We associate France with what it was. When another culture comes, it suppresses it, not becomes it. I am against multiculturalism, I think that this was the erroneous position of the European Union. For some reason, my articles about migrants did not evoke thoughts of racism in anyone, but in Europe this is a real problem. It is impossible not to recognize the facts,” Aslamova said.

The KP special correspondent is not going to apologize to those whose feelings were hurt by the article, because he does not consider himself guilty. “Why should I apologize for quoting other people’s words? What to apologize for? For whom?! For the French "National Front"?! What the heck is that anyway?" she protested.

Multinational countries

The social diagnosis "racist" was awarded not only by Daria Aslamova, but also by actress Maria Kozhevnikova. The actress drew attention to the multinational composition of the French team and said that she supports Croatia.

In the comments, the subscribers pointed out to Kozhevnikova that the athletes were actually born in France, and advised them to learn more about the history of Russia.

“In the French team, too, everyone was born in France, except for Umtiti and Lemar. And France is a multinational country, a former imperial state. Russia also has many faces, so I don't see a problem. At least first read who is from where and the history of Russia, ”wrote user Slimpocket3.

The 2018 World Cup was held under the motto of the fight against racism.

Komsomolskaya Pravda special correspondent Daria ASLAMOVA visited the country engulfed in fire and made sure that the front line runs almost everywhere there

“Turn around! This is the road to DAISH (ISIS)*” Waving his arms, a Syrian soldier runs towards us. Around the column is red dust, through which the sun seems to be a burning bloody ball. The sand clogs my lungs, and if I open my mouth, I'll start croaking like a crow. In horror, I swallow whiskey straight from the bottle and ask my interpreter and new friend Nazir in a trembling voice: “We almost went straight to Daesh ?!” “Well, they didn’t leave,” he calmly replies. “It’s just a fork: to the right is Daesh, straight ahead is Jabhat An-Nusra *, to the left is Aleppo.”

The soldiers ask us for a bottle of water. But as soon as we stop in the open, the sharp clicks of bullets drive us back into the car.

* Organizations are banned in Russia.

A DIFFICULT JOURNEY TO ALEPPO

Two hours ago, we drove up to Aleppo, from which black smoke rose and the roar of explosions was heard. The premonition of danger made me polish my armor. I powdered my face and painted my lips, which is completely pointless in the fifty-degree heat. The powder was caked in lumps, the lipstick was smudged, and in five minutes I looked like a clown. My light dress stuck to my body. But Nazir promised me the best kebab in the world, arak (local vodka and an excellent remedy for dysentery - if not diluted with water, completely burns the insides) and even a hairdresser, if there is electricity in the city. The main thing is to break through to Aleppo.

But the beautiful new road has been cut by militants, desperate battles are going on right on it, and the soldiers refuse to let us in. “But Aleppo is only ten kilometers away! I beg. “Maybe we can break through?” Two mines that exploded not far from us cool my ardor at once. The situation is hopeless! Gasoline is running out and you can get it only in the city (in Syria, people stand in line for gasoline for days). The nearest safe city of Homs is three hundred kilometers away. Even if we miraculously get gas, in a couple of hours it will get dark, and the road will become deadly. On the one hand, the terrorists from Al-Nusra, on the other, ISIS. Every night they try to cut off the only road to Aleppo. This is the same section of the road with a length of 150 kilometers, on which drivers squeeze everything out of the car. "Yalla! Yalla!" ("Faster, faster!"). Just don't fall into the clutches of the devils.

The inhabitants of the suburbs of Aleppo do not seem friendly to me. Gone are the Syrian flags and the ubiquitous portraits of President Assad. The entrails of sheep are scattered everywhere, decomposing in the sun.

Can someone take us in? I ask Nazir timidly. - Moscow reports that the Syrian army has already recaptured the road to Aleppo. And tomorrow we will slip through, huh?

Do not even think! They will shelter you with pleasure, and at night they will sell you to ISIS. And who do you believe? Moscow, that the road is cleared, or to your own eyes?

Moscow,” I say, almost crying. - But there is a bypass road around the city.

It's two hours. Sand and stones. Only jeeps will pass there. And we have a low car. If we get stuck, the snipers will make a cutlet out of us.

But can you try? I ask.

You can, - Nazir says melancholy. I love that "may". In the most difficult situation, when everything goes to hell, Nazir always says the same "you can."

DESTROYED TREASURE

Almost three hours later we enter Aleppo, but the feeling of triumph is swept away by the horror of despair. "My God! My God! I whisper senselessly. - The pearl of the Middle East! Mirage in the desert! A city that is eight thousand years old! Do not die! I saw in a dream all your bazaars and mosques, I mentally walked through your streets and nooks and crannies! You are the rest for the weary traveler and the dream of the enterprising merchant. Oh, what happened to you?!" All the scenery for a horror film pales in front of reality. The real Apocalypse! Skeletons of high-rise buildings, their dead eye sockets, walls that scream: “We saw everything!”

But suddenly the broken glass stops creaking under the wheels. Strong asphalt, clean streets and beating life at the end of a dead tunnel. Some volunteer douses our dust-red car with water from a hose. And I see an oasis: houses of noble oriental architecture made of amazing yellow stone, ice cream cafes, children diving into the river from the bridge. Women dressed in dense synthetic fabrics, in black wool trousers, gloves, socks and sunglasses (real Martians!) meticulously examine my careless dress. No one pays attention to the sounds of nearby explosions. Death is an all too familiar part of local life.

I see jewelry storefronts with sassy Tiffany signs on them. Hotels that still retain the luster of their former luxury, where electricity is provided from six in the evening until one in the morning (only thanks to the generators in the hall dim lamps shine and fans knead greasy hot air). There is no ice, refrigerators do not work, even the sheets seem ten pounds. At night, from the heat, the blood coagulates in the veins.

I toss naked on the bed and hear Russian aircraft bombing the suburbs and the eastern part of the city, where the terrorists have settled. For locals living in the western part controlled by the Syrian army, this is the most soothing sound. “Ours have arrived,” they say proudly, “the Russians.”

In the morning I wake up from the fierce machine gun fire under the windows of the hotel. Looking out the window, I see that passers-by do not react in any way. Even women with children. “This is how we see off dead heroes,” the porter explains. “The body of a dead soldier has just been taken from the hospital morgue.”

BATTLE FOR THE CITADEL

I'm walking with the Syrian army along the deserted narrow streets of the old city of Aleppo, as if specially created for ambushes and attacks from around the corner. The ancient city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the main battlefield between the Syrian army and the terrorists.

After three years of fighting, only the walls remained of the city. I trip over a sign that says Belgian Consulate. From the names of the broken hotels and shops, one can imagine the luxury Aleppo bathed in before the war, the richest commercial and industrial center in Syria.

We dive into the thirteen kilometers long indoor market, the longest in the world. I go up and down countless ladders, follow long passages and go through cellars where rags, buttons, shoes for sale are scattered. My velvet shoes step on broken glass, they are covered with the dust of war and devastation.

And suddenly I find myself in the main headquarters, where solid furniture was stolen from the surrounding abandoned houses. Maps, armchairs, real cardamom coffee, ice cold water from a tiny fridge, and even a fan! A special forces officer named Nadir, a handsome, tired, calm man, has been fighting in Aleppo for three years. It was he who led the operation to capture the ancient Citadel, towering 50 meters above the city.

Understand, to take and hold the Citadel - this means not just control over the main strategic height of the city, - Nadir explains. - The fortresses are more than three thousand years old. This is the main pride of the inhabitants of Aleppo, its moral symbol. Who owns the Citadel, owns the city. We bow over the map of the fortress:

Our soldiers are holding inside, - my interlocutor says. - Outside - all these gangs that have sang among themselves: "Dzhebhat An-Nusra", "Ahrar Ash-Sham", "Nur ad-Din az-Zinki" (groups banned in Russia).

I shudder: - "Az-Zinki" - is this the group that recently executed a ten-year-old Palestinian boy and posted a video of his execution on the Internet?

Yes. They now, forgetting about strife, are fighting all together. (“Al-Zinki” is a “moderate” Islamist group that receives financial and military assistance from the United States and Saudi Arabia. In connection with the murder of a child, US officials announced “the possibility of reviewing their relationship” with the gang, whose members, at the insistence of the Americans, represent the official opposition at the Geneva talks. - D.A.)

The ancient city is empty, there are no civilians. You control a third of the old city and the main fortress. Why can't these rats be smoked out of here?

Tunnels, - officer Nadir glooms. - Everything under our feet is penetrated by a network of ancient tunnels. Terrorists control them, clean them, expand them and build new ones. We are constantly listening to the ground where they dig.

Look - Nadir shows a video on his phone: a hole in the ground and the bodies of the killed terrorists. - Two weeks ago we listened to them and waited. When they came to the surface, they were immediately killed. This is luck. But we are not always lucky.

I want to see the fortress! I plead. They say she's great! What if I never get to Aleppo again? Or will there no longer be a fortress?

You will see her, - the officer says smiling. - Although we have not let journalists in for three months. But no initiative. Move right after me.

We wander in dead silence, interrupted by sudden explosions of mines. Suddenly officer Nadir stops in front of a pile of stones. - Hug against the wall! There are snipers here. Look at these three destroyed buildings. This is where our squad was located. Two years ago, terrorists dug a tunnel and blew up all three buildings from below. 67 of my comrades died. We never got the bodies. The place is constantly shelled. Someday…” His voice trails off. - When everything is over, there will be a mass grave and a monument. Must be!

And then I see the fortress! A tragic masterpiece, drenched in human blood for three thousand years! Whoever did not fight for this Citadel and for this ancient city, which stood on the Great Silk Road. The spilled blood has fertilized the Syrian desert, where olive and pistachio trees miraculously grow. Suddenly we hear the frantic prayerful singing of the Mujahideen and freeze. Friday! How far are they from us? I ask in a whisper.

No more than 80 meters. Despite the sizzling heat, I'm covered in goosebumps and cold sweat. And I remember the words of one of my Syrian friends: “These people are zombies. Imagine a person who has completely erased one computer program of the brain and brought in another. They explained to him: life on earth is a void and a trap for sinners, paradise is up there. The sooner you get there, the better. Death in war is a pass to heaven. Now imagine: how difficult it is for people who love and appreciate life to fight those who are indifferent to it?

EMPTY HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS

There are only four of them. Three - for civilians, one - for militants. Only a few families managed to infiltrate at the very beginning, and that's it. I stand, somewhat discouraged, in front of a huge garbage dump blocking a narrow passage in the old city.

Is this a humanitarian corridor? I ask doubtfully.

Yes, the Syrian officers answer me. There is a hole inside that you can go through.

I try to take a picture of the hole, but I'm immediately pushed against the wall.

Be careful. The corridor is constantly fired upon by snipers.

But what about the civilians? I ask doubtfully.

While you climb through the garbage heap, you will be killed ten times. Suddenly we see a man with a boy of four years old. He calmly walks through the open space. It turned out that this is a local resident named Sultan, who lives right above the garbage dump. Every day he comes to the soldiers for bread.

The Sultan looks calm.

And then everyone got used to me: both from that side and from that side. Nobody touches me. They know that I need to feed my son,” he explains.

Are there many who want to go through the corridor from the other side?

Haven't seen one in recent days. But snipers - as much as you want.

I think everyone who wanted to run away ran away a long time ago. Western newspapers have been crying over the "tragedy of the inhabitants of the two millionth Aleppo" who are being bombed by "evil Russian planes" for several weeks now. But let's put everything in its place. Even the cautious Wikipedia reports that there are less than a million inhabitants left in the city. (And by the way, most of them live in the western, relatively prosperous part of the city, controlled by the Syrian army, and suffer there not from bombing, but from rocket attacks by terrorists.)

What kind of civilians in the east of the city are we talking about? - Dr. Abdul Nached, a native of Aleppo, is surprised. - When three years ago all these gangs like An-Nusra captured the eastern part, all my acquaintances, friends of friends and, in general, all decent people from that side left long ago. Aleppo was the richest city in Syria! Everyone had savings for a rainy day. Those who were poorer left for Damascus, the rest for Turkey and Europe. Only the terrorists and their accomplices remained. No one else! And now everyone is running around with them and shouting that there are a lot of civilians there. Yes, from where? Of course, it cannot be ruled out that someone remained, although I find it hard to believe.

Dr. Abdul Nached, one of the few doctors left in Aleppo, comes from a wealthy, respected family. A couple of weeks ago, the Syrian army liberated another part of the city, where the famous candy factory owned by his father was located. He bitterly shows me a video on his phone: destroyed premises, looted warehouses. Expensive equipment stolen. Everything has to start from scratch. - If it weren't for my doctor's salary, I just don't know what our whole family would live on. I stayed here because my country needs me. Half of the doctors left Aleppo. Every day I think about whether my son will return from school. And will I survive on my way home.

Dr. Nached is a very devout man who keeps all the precepts of Islam. "The West and America funded ISIS, which cover up murders and lawlessness in the name of Islam," he says. - And then the West is surprised when terror comes to their house. I don't gloat. I do not wish harm to anyone, but only peace. I am a believer. But for me, Islam that calls for murder is not Islam. This is how Islam made the West, sponsoring terrorists.

WHO DID RICH AND STRONG SETILIAN SYRIA INTERFERE?

Prior to the so-called "Arab Spring", Syria was one of the most prosperous, secular, safe and civilized countries in the Arab world. In 2010, the pre-war year, economic growth was 4.5%, the state budget was deficit-free. (And this despite the fact that Syria had to feed 1.2 million Iraqi refugees and 400,000 Palestinians.) Tourism flourished. Agriculture has been one of the most successful in the world. Even the notorious drought that allegedly provoked the "revolution" is an unpleasant but common occurrence in Syria. It is thanks to the arid climate that Syria produces durum wheat, which, for example, was bought by the Italians for the production of pasta.

Here everywhere is fat, red earth, which only gives birth and gives birth. Wheat, olives, pistachios, grapes, figs. Everything ripens and fills with juice under the scorching sun. Enterprising and cunning people live here, having mastered the art of business for thousands of years. Before the war, excellent roads were built in the country, which brought trade and business revival to Syria. It was these roads that saved the state when the terrorists captured the main highways. But there are many paved roads of local importance. Even in the most difficult year of 2014, when almost all of Syria was engulfed in war, industrial growth was 1% (I'm not talking about the "gray" business, which, of course, was not included in the official reports).

When I left Aleppo, I was struck by the huge number of trucks that, under the threat of shelling, carried the famous Aleppo textiles. Bulldozers were working right there, preparing a new road to replace the one captured by the militants. Fields are cultivated even where ISIS troops can attack at any moment. The Syrians are tireless builders and amazing life-lovers. Damascus, a city that is at least ten thousand years old by conservative estimates, is extraordinarily modern and full of life. We are used to being shot. A mine flew into a trendy restaurant in the old town a couple of weeks ago, killing several people, however, people still sit in cafes, smoke hookah and enjoy life. In Syria, by the way, the most delicious food in the world. (Believe an experienced person. Even in warring Aleppo, there is one establishment that the Michelin restaurant guide would give all three stars.)

The people here are kind and helpful by nature. The local bureaucracy is, of course, unbearable, but even with it you can get along. Theft is not developed, and this despite the fact that in Damascus, due to refugees, the population has tripled. People often leave cars unlocked. The first feeling from Damascus is a great civilization (unlike, for example, Cairo, where completely wild people roam). A beautiful, life-loving city, tolerant, indulgent, cultured. Before the war, almost no hijabs were worn here. But the villagers and refugees pouring into the city changed the picture. However, the native townswomen, unlike the “come in large numbers”, flaunt in tight “torn” jeans, frank blouses with a deep neckline and dye their hair in the most unthinkable colors. And no one whistles after them, as is customary in the east.

Who was disturbed by a rich, strong, secular Syria, where Christians and Muslims coexisted peacefully side by side, and whose economy grew by leaps and bounds? Yes, almost everyone. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who dreamed of not only laying oil and gas pipelines through it to Europe, but also completely converting the Sunni population of the country, which is 78 percent, to Wahhabism (a radical doctrine that spun off from Islam). Turkey, which, due to historical tradition (Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire), used to consider the neighboring country as something like its fiefdom.

Israel, which at one time took the Golan Heights from Syria (not only strategically important, but extremely fertile lands in terms of climate, agriculture, tourism and religious pilgrimage). The Lebanese Hezbollah (one of the enemies of Israel), fighting in Syria on the side of Assad, suffered serious losses (according to rumors, up to two thousand people), which again plays into the hands of hostile neighbors. Therefore, Israel willingly provides medical assistance to al-Nusra and ISIS militants, allegedly guided by mercy. (Can you imagine an Israeli who treats an ISIS militant out of love for his neighbor?! I personally can't.)

Prayer at the Head of John the Baptist in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

In addition, quite a few experts have drawn attention to the fact that ISIS never threatens Israel, and in return Israel keeps its mouth shut about ISIS. Apparently, they have developed a normal business relationship. Moreover, Israel repeatedly bombed Hezbollah columns in Syria, which went to the aid of the dying Syrian troops.

But the main enemy of Syria is America. You don't have to be seven spans in your forehead to notice the main US strategy: they destroy only relatively secular, prosperous Muslim countries, where there is no smell of Islamic extremism.

Their goal is chaos that destroys peaceful Islam. Thus were destroyed secular Iraq under Saddam Hussein, moderate Libya, moderate Egypt controlled by Mubarak, and now Syria has become the target. Americans do not care about human rights in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which are obsessed with the misanthropic teachings of Wahhabism. They are not worried about Shia Bahrain (where the American base is located), which has been seized by a handful of Sunni self-styled "monarchs". Why?

Everything is very simple. Wahhabism was invented and paid for in the 19th century by the British, and in Saudi Arabia it was the Anglo-Saxons who elevated the usurpers of the Saudis to the throne, in whose veins there is not a drop of the noble blood of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. These are fake damn kings. It was these miserable invaders who were given the keys to the greatest shrines of Mecca and Medina. And the whole Arab world knows about it.

HOW PALMYRA LIVES

It's hard. Difficult. No water, no electricity. Although 150 families have already returned. Syrian officers invited me to the first “cafe” that opened. Right on the bombed-out street, where all the houses say “Min no” in Russian, the enterprising owner of the shop put up sofas where you can sit with a cup of tea and smoke a hookah.

Suddenly we see a three-year-old girl, and we all freeze, as if we saw a miracle. And it really is a miracle! If children appeared in Palmyra, then life is returning! Feeling like the center of everyone's attention, the little coquette willingly poses for shooting and takes poses worthy of a fashion model.

The treasures of Palmyra are still magnificent. And, thank God, the beautiful Roman colonnades and the amphitheater survived. But the world community, groaning about the sorrows of Palmyra, is in no hurry to restore the ruined city. However, they can be understood. The front is only 20 kilometers away, and the ISIS simply dream of returning to Palmyra to arrange their own “bloody concert” there. There is nothing to rob there, but to take revenge on the Russians and raise their prestige is for them a matter of their barbaric "honor".

Two days before your arrival, a new attack on Palmyra began, - says General Malik. - Our scouts and Russian intelligence have determined that at a distance of 25 kilometers from the city there is a large center of militants - warehouses with weapons, training centers and a command post. All this data was transferred to the Russian aviation center. 6 bombers flew out, and the attack on Palmyra was cut off. The danger has only been pushed aside, but it hasn't gone anywhere. (Later, local officers showed me horrific photos: the burned corpses of Syrian soldiers with their eyes gouged out, taken by surprise at a checkpoint by an IS advance.)

You let into the country not only Russians, who are vitally interested in destroying the main hotbed of world terrorism, which is too close to our borders, - I say. “But Hezbollah and Iran are also fighting here. Are you afraid that sooner or later you will be charged?

Not at all. Let's be frank. Syria created and supported the Lebanese Hezbollah. Morally, materially and in arms, especially during the war between Lebanon and Israel. They owe it to us, not we to them. As for Iran, we have always been a friend of this country. Even when Saddam Hussein, at the instigation of the Americans, launched a war against Iran, too weak after the revolution, subjected to the most severe sanctions, Syria was the only Arab country that stood up for Iran. And do not forget: Iran supports the Shiites in Lebanon in every possible way, but due to geography, it can only do this through us, the Syrians. So we have no unpaid bills either with Iran or with Hezbollah. There is mutual help.

Putin and Erdogan held talks on the Syrian issue. Have the supply caravans of terrorists crossing the Turkish border been reduced?

Hardly ever. The supply goes through Idlib. And not because Erdogan wants it. He NO LONGER CONTROLS DAISH (ISIS), which he himself created. All settlements on the Turkish-Syrian border (where there are no Kurds) are under the control of ISIS. On the day of the coup, the lights were turned off at the border to allow the ISIS units to cross the border without hindrance. They were going to go to Istanbul to save Erdogan.

There was still a rope on the column of the ancient amphitheater, on which the militants hung the archaeologist's head, putting glasses on it for mockery

Photograph of 82-year-old archaeologist and custodian of Palmyra Khaled Asaad beheaded by ISIS

What will happen when ISIS realizes that Erdogan is playing a game against them?

I reason. If he survived one coup, it does not mean that he will survive the second. Experts in the Middle East believe that the Americans are going to remove Erdogan at any cost. Count his enemies: the Kurds against whom he is waging war, most of the army arrested and subjected to repression (they still have friends, relatives, allies), the opposition (more than a hundred thousand people have lost their jobs), ISIS, which senses treason and will take full revenge on Turkey , if she turns her back on him, and the preacher Gulen, who is sitting in the United States, who organized the coup with the help of the Americans.

You are right, General Malik remarks. - If the Russians had not warned Erdogan about the coup, it is not known how the matter would have ended.

Have we, Russia and Syria, found ourselves in a strange situation? The main enemy of Syria, the sponsor of ISIS, the man who gave the order to shoot down the Russian plane, an absolutely unreliable partner - and now we are forced to help him stay in power.

Exactly. We are forced to endure it. Of all the evils at the moment, this is the lesser. Because if a civil war breaks out in Turkey, it will destroy the entire region.

ARMY-CRIPPED

The Syrian army is bled. Tired of the war. The best cadres are killed, new ones are not prepared. Of course, I saw excellent special forces in Aleppo and excellent fighters in the suburbs of Damascus, where there are serious battles. But this is NOT the whole army. And its shortcomings are obvious even to a non-military person. Poor communication between parts. Weak motivation. Remnants of tribal consciousness ("my hut is on the edge"). Lack of proper patriotic education.

I remember arguing with Syrian refugees in Iraq: “Aren't you ashamed?! You are young healthy guys, but you left the country at a difficult moment and ran away.” “Why should we fight for Assad?” “Yes, not Assad, but for the Motherland!” “But we were not taught to love the Motherland.” And this is a huge blunder of local propaganda. No one taught the children at school that they are citizens of the ONE great beautiful country called Syria. And it is this country that they need to protect even at the cost of their lives. This is exactly what is called patriotism.

The level of discipline in the army is simply deplorable. I personally saw how at checkpoints soldiers sit in a circle at night, drink tea, smoke hookah and gossip. Goes, for example, the general. Someone alone rises lazily, waves a salutatory hand (the soldiers don't even know what to salute!) and raises the barrier.

This is what Russian officers told me on condition of anonymity: “Morale is extremely low. Many cases of desertion. We tell the Syrians: in conditions of war, desertion is shot. And we answered: yes, how to shoot! Our whole army will scatter like that! And so they catch a deserter and put him in jail for three months. He rests there, eats three times a day, then he is again sent to the front. ISIS are scared to death. There are many former peasants who are sent to the front poorly trained. One cry "Allah Akbar!" able to put them to flight. There were shameful cases: twelve Islamists defeated a hundred armed soldiers, who also dropped their weapons while fleeing. They are calm only when they know that Russians are nearby. No one taught them how to defend themselves. The entire army must be retrained and reeducated. Even the girls who go to the army are much more disciplined and responsible than the boys. They can make good soldiers out of them."

The matter is complicated by the fact that the local authorities refuse to conduct a general mobilization. The streets of Damascus are full of strong, well-fed young people who train in prestigious fitness centers or drink tea in the old city in the morning. What are they doing? Unclear. Why not in the army? All of them must be driven to the front with a stick. Their homeland is in danger!

But the authorities have their own reasons, which were voiced to me by political scientist Ali al-Ahmad: “This is a long and difficult war. There were days when up to 200 military operations were going on at the same time! The front line is very stretched. But the country wants life to go on. Civil institutions must work. Universities, schools, hospitals - this is a sign that the state exists no matter what.

WORLD WAR ON TERRORISM

Indeed, the front line runs almost everywhere. There are no safe places! Even Damascus is constantly under fire from three different points. I first regretted not wearing a bulletproof vest in the town of Daraya, a stone's throw from Damascus. The town is completely destroyed. The Syrian army liberated most of the territory and surrounded on all sides the militants, who settled in high-rise concrete houses with solid basements. Terrorists are trying to starve.

Understand that taking this territory by storm means that it is pointless to kill a huge number of soldiers, - explains the commander of the 4th division, General Hasan. - There sits up to two thousand suicide bombers with stocks of weapons and food in the basements. We are very grateful to Russia for their help, but we want to ask through you: we need aerial bombs that can penetrate concrete through and through. Otherwise, you can't get these bastards.

Do you think there is a civil war going on in Syria? I ask.

What kind of civil war are we talking about if the English newspapers recently published the official number of mercenaries who have infiltrated Syria over the past 5 years: almost four hundred thousand people with a budget of $ 45 billion spent on their transfer and supply! Where did the British get such numbers from? By the way, I'm sure underestimated.

This is a war imposed on us from the outside, - political scientist Ali al-Ahmad echoes the general. - This war can not be called a civil war! First, the Western media tried to present it as a revolution against the regime, then as a clash between Sunnis and Alawites, and later as a struggle between Sunnis and Shiites. But this is nonsense! The majority of the local population are Sunnis. If the Sunnis rebelled against the state, it would fall within months! And the country has been living like this for more than five years. And it is the Sunnis who protect the country from foreign invaders, and next to them the Alawites, Christians, Kurds, Shiites are fighting. The social soil here has always been moderate and tolerant. We are at war with foreigners: with people from Chechnya, Dagestan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey. There are even Chinese Uighurs! I do not deny that among the militants there are also duped Syrians, but they are not commanders, not leaders.

In fact, there is a world war against terrorism going on in Syria. It is necessary that none of these terrorists return home. They should be buried here.