Animator Boris Denisevich and his son Danylo were engaged in territorial defense at the very beginning of the Russian invasion. The 21-year-old was killed in Donbass while assigned to the rear.
“Danylo had never had to deal with weapons near or far or perhaps only, as a child, when he played with his wooden sword”, recount his dad Boris Denisevich, animated film director. The story of Danylo Denisevich is that of a 21-year-old child full of sensitivity and fantasy, raised by his artist parents near kyiv. And who should never have ended up in the war. However, he left there in the early hours of the Russian invasion, with his father.
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“Me, I immediately decided to get involved, confides Boris, back in kyiv. I tried to dissuade Danylo from doing the same, but he packed his bag without saying anything and left with me. As of February 24, we joined the terrorist defense”. There will be the first fights to defend Kiev, then the father and the son are recruited by the army, quickly sent to Donbass and the hell of Bakhmout, in the east of Ukraine. Boris will serve on the front line, Danylo will be assigned to the rear, in the headquarters offices.
Father and son had a film school project
But death does not always strike where it is most expected. “It was two Shahed drones that fell on them, and lo and behold… My commander came to tell me that there was a 99% probability that Danylo had been killed”, remembers Boris.
“I tried to phone him, I hung on to that 1% chance but after half a day I realized he wouldn’t answer.”
Boris Denisevichat franceinfo
Five men died in this Russian strike. Boris, he lost much more that day: “Danylo was my best friend since childhood. To tell the truth, I lost my brother in arms, my friend… And my son at the same time”.
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The father and his son had projects together, films to make, a film school for children that they wanted to open. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to review all these plans, but we’re not going to give up, we’re going to continue to live and create. It’s obvious!” What consoles Boris is that the war will not have changed Danylo. Until the end, in Bakhmout, he will have continued to compose music that he sent to his mother and his friends, also continued to see light and art in one of the darkest places in this war.