Good morning! This young man has been followed by war ever since he was born. He was studying in Podgorica. He could stay and hide from the war, but he decided otherwise.
Astamur Gumba – Montenegrin student and Ukrainian hero
During the weekend, I had a long talk with Astamur’s mother, Natalya, and his stepfather, Sergey. Natalya grew up in the Caucasus, the then Georgia, and when the war erupted, they were in in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, the land of Astamur’s ancestors – the respected and ancient Gumba clan. At the last moment, while the front line was being established, Natalya grabbed Astik from kindergarten and fled to Ukraine, the country from where her grandfather came to Abkhazia – a Ukrainian, a frontliner and a hero of the Second World War.
Astamur was interested in the Balkans. The topic of his thesis was “political manipulation in the context of the Balkan conflict”. Natalya could feel the war was preparing and sent Astamur to study in Montenegro in 2012. Here he studied at the state university and made a lot of friends. He was active in the youth non-governmental sector in Montenegro. Especially in organizations that supported Montenegro’s NATO membership. After four years, he decided to leave everything and return to Ukraine. Montenegro taught him that you should fight for your country.
On the first day of the war with Russia, he went to the military office on his own initiative and told his parents “I will not run away from the war anymore”, leaving his cat in their care. His mother tried to dissuade him from that idea, telling that they should go to Montenegro, but after numerous attempts, she accepted it, realizing that he was fighting for his mission, while she was fighting for his life.
Astamur and his unit were quickly sent to the front lines towards Kharkiv. One of the worst places on the front, a city that the Russians thought would wait for them with flowers. They were met with a formidable defense. Astamur’s brigade repelled attacks by Russian regular units, Wagner units, and even special detachments of the GRU. In the end, in one of those attacks, at the end of June last year, Astik was killed.
Natalya and Sergey have now come to Montenegro for a short time, to organize an event on the anniversary of Astamur’s death in Montenegro, organized by his foundation and with the support of FCJK – a photo exhibition and a walk for Astamur. A short break on the Adriatic, and then returning to the city over which rockets hit every day.
There are many victims of Russian aggression. About 80% of Ukrainians have killed or wounded among their relatives. The cemeteries are full. Bartenders, DJs, managers, IT people, intellectuals went to war. The cemetery where Astamur is buried is full of such people.
I asked them why they didn’t stay in Montenegro. Sergey, although at an age when he cannot serve much in the military, cannot leave Ukraine without special permission. They say they are needed in Ukraine. And Astamur is there, too. They run a foundation named after him. During the Ukraine Day, a book about Montenegro by a Ukrainian author was presented in Montenegro. They are one of the most active promoters of ties between Ukraine and Montenegro. We’re now discussing to organize another event in the near future. They sat, “if we survive, we’ll come again soon for sure”.
That’s all for today. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Kind regards,
Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM observer and columnist
(The opinions and views of our columnists are not necessarily those of the editorial staff of CdM)
