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Revealed On 19 Feb 2024
Chernihiv, Ukraine – Two years after Russia’s armed forces captured the small village of Yahidne in Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast, Ivan nonetheless feels fortunate to have survived.
Together with 366 locals, together with girls, youngsters, and the aged, he was detained by Russian troopers in a college basement for 26 days in March 2022.
The villagers by no means considered Yahidne as a strategic location for Russian forces. They didn’t count on to be focused.
Once they started listening to the sound of explosions in surrounding areas, they feared the worst.
On March 3, the peace of this small group was shattered when Russian navy automobiles entered the village in a protracted column.
Ivan, 63, hurried to his house, hoping to hunt shelter.
Nonetheless, he and his household, confronted with the specter of loss of life, shortly surrendered to Russian troopers and joined different locals pressured into a college basement.
“I remember the day they broke into the basement of our house where I was hiding with my family. They [Russian soldiers] threatened us with guns and ordered us to take off our clothes and hand over our phones,” stated Ivan.
The story of Yahidne didn’t make the headlines again in March 2022 and that’s most likely as a result of there was nearly nobody to inform it.
Since their liberation, villagers have talked to investigators and journalists to be remembered and chosen to maintain the basement intact to function a battle memorial.
Remnants of battle, like explosives and shells, can be seen scattered throughout the village.
“We thought we were doomed,” stated Ivan, who typically refers back to the basement as a focus camp.
Russian troops captured Yahidne seven days after they launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They withdrew on the finish of March.