When the Russians captured the city of Jahidne, all the villagers were crammed into a cold cellar for 25 days. The elderly and the poor were not tolerated.
HUNTING More than a hundred kilometers north of the capital Kiev, and traces of war are visible everywhere.
Destroyed tanks, broken-down cars and bombed-out houses – this also became a reality for the inhabitants of the village of Jahidne just over a month ago.
But even worse was coming.
The Russians took over the small village on the fifth day of March. After that, all the surviving civilians were taken to the basement of the school.
About 400 people were crammed into the small premises. Mykola KlimtšukA 60-year-old pensioner, says he slept for 25 nights while standing.
– I tied my other hand to a polar tree with a scarf. I had to. I only had half a square foot of space, Klimtsuk says, wiping away tears from the corner of his eye.
The man’s legs were still dangerously swollen.
The basement was dirty, cold and damp. Twelve of the detainees could not be treated.
– The bodies of six people were next to us for days. We didn’t dare try to take them out because we were afraid the Russians would shoot us, Ekaterina Balanovich says.
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!
Also 15 years old Darina Dolotsina had to fear for his life. However, the young girl, who was released a good week ago, already now – at least on the surface – seems amazingly calm.
– That’s when I was scared when the soldiers suddenly came into the basement with hand grenades.
The empty bottles of champagne left in the school yard tell us that the Russian soldiers were not clear all the time.
– They began to shout “Slava Ukraine!” slogan. Then they waited, Darina says.
If the prisoners had responded to the patriotic greeting in the usual style, it might have been a sufficient excuse for drunken Russian soldiers.
– We kept quiet and we weren’t blown up. It was indescribably terrible.
“We will save you from the fascists”
At least some of the Russian soldiers apparently believed in Kremlin propaganda about the Nazis who ruled Ukraine.
– They said they came here to free us from the fascists. I said there are no fascists here. This is a quiet village, Irina Onikienko said.
Later, the attitude of the soldiers towards the prisoners became colder.
– They demand that we learn the Russian national anthem. We would reportedly be taken to Siberia as slaves to the Russians and we should be faithful To Putin.
A moment of freedom
The imprisoned Ukrainian civilians had to spend days in a dangerously cold and dirty basement without ever getting out during that time.
It was reported that you could drink enough tea, but for example you only got one cup of borscht soup a day – and that too had to be shared with another prisoner.
However, March 30 changed everything. There were no more sounds of war outside.
The prisoners ventured carefully into the school yard. The Russians had left but left their fallen comrades in their places. There was also a message stating that the whole area had been mined.
It soon became clear that everyone should start their lives all over again: everyone’s homes had been destroyed and Pets had been killed.