Igor – is a volunteer and originally is from Donbass. Evacuating people from under shelling he was taken as a prisoner by separatists. After release from captivity he keeps delivering humanitarian aid for residents of occupied territories. Igor told Informator.lg.ua about captives, tortures, communication with “militants” and his miraculous release.
Tell about your volunteer work. How did it start?
During combats in June, July and August I was evacuating people from under shelling and delivering humanitarian aid. There was no one else to evacuate people. I decided that I was good in negotiating and started my work. At first, I was taking people to Russian border, then – to controlled territory – to Kharkov, Svatovo. I was trying to evacuate children, old people and women firstly. I’ve evacuated just a few men for all this time.
I didn’t have protectors, I found money and transport myself. Before the war I worked in Russia and crossed the border many times, I spent a long time travelling, that is why I knew all exits, those where it was dangerous to cross and where it was safe. When I was working, I got into a mess many times and wasn’t afraid of uncertainty. I have to say, that after 12 PM life in non-controlled cities stopped at all: stores and markets didn’t work, there were no buses. Shelling stopped everything. There were just several people – me and one more team, — who were driving out and evacuating people.
Once, I was evacuating a girl with a newborn daughter of twenty days old. It was 40 degrees outside. It took a day to evacuate her. We passed 12 separatists’ block posts. I was driving a foreigner without a passport, as we found out on a block post. I didn’t check it beforehand. God miraculously saved him from commandant’s office. You should see his eyes! It was death or captivity. I drove him through 12 separatists’ block posts and almost 10 block posts of National Guard. And each time I was trying to explain who he was. I told the same story twenty times. And each time it worked…
I personally evacuated 32 people. My team evacuated about 170 people more when I was in captivity. They have also distributed about 20 tons of humanitarian aid. I don’t evacuate people any more. Now those people, who really want to leave, can do it themselves.
How have you been taken as a prisoner?
In July I was going for a woman and managed between two combating sides. I was alone with humanitarian aid. I didn’t have any symbols, without a compass or any maps, but “militants” decided that I was a spy. They detained me, questioned and were going to let me go, when some commander appeared and told that such people as I was have to be sent to their investigators for interrogation. When they found out that I had been evacuating people, they decided to detain me for 20 days.
For 10 days I needed food, water and fresh air badly. Once a day they took us outside for 15 minutes to a toilet. Our nutrition was – 3 spoons of porridge and a piece of bread a day. There were about 50 more people with me. Cells were not meant for people. There were no ventilation, no windows, no water supply, nothing. I was imprisoned with businessmen, scientists and “militants” from other – compete – battalions. Also they imprisoned people from their own battalion. There was a boy, who did his battalion wrong and was sent to our cell for 20 days. People were imprisoned there for different reasons: contest for power, contest for money, somebody stole money and didn’t share … One “militant” didn’t share money with his authorities, but bought ammunition for his detachment. That is why he was sent to the basement. Someone else was taken as a prisoner by another battalion, he was released and imprisoned again for some accusation by his own battalion.
Did you communicate with those people?
Communication with militants was normal, humane. We were not imprisoned with some winos, we had commanders mostly, adequate people. There were people from Russia, one from Cheboksary, the other from Moscow, third was from somewhere else in Russia too. They were feeding us after they were released. They visited us in the cell, because we had good relationships, gave us food, blanket, water, tea. Those guys … they, roughly, saved us, saved their enemies. They knew everything about us. There was a personal record for everyone. They knew that all of us were pro-Ukrainian.
Did they tell why they were there?
I asked why they have come here. One guy told me that he came there because fascist power was killing peaceful civilians. And you can “buy” it if you see this guy for the first time. I spent a week with him in one cell and saw his real face. I understood that all his words about murders, Nazis, defence of peaceful population – were excuses, a pretext. He just didn’t have enough adrenalin. He participated in three wars, he was retired, he can’t do anything else, he just needed that adrenalin, needed to shoot. I am sure one hundred per cent! Another one was a swindler. He understood that he will be able to rob freely with a machine gun in his arms, steal cars. And he really did it and was imprisoned. He didn’t share with his authorities. There were also people who sincerely believed in propaganda. Mostly locals. All our jailers were locals. They were none too clever, with bad education, as you could see talking to them. They really believed in everything and were “none paid”, because they “were on the right side”. They were not allowed to deal with something serious; they were mostly used as a cannon fodder. New comers were dealing with interrogations and tortures.
What were you accused of?
They found out that I have been in Kharkov, that I traveled all over the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkov regions and saw many columns of Ukrainian equipment. They tried to make me their informer. I resisted. They accused me of an unwillingness to become their spy. They couldn’t believe that I was doing that due to my own will – was crossing the front to help people. they were sure that I was “paid”, that I had financial support. They tried to wrest it from me by tortures.
I suffered the most from my cell. Investigators were not common people, they were specially trained. One hundred per cent – Russians. My main tormentor was a St. Petersburg’s police colonel. He told me that. His name is Andrey Ivanovitch, nicknamed “Veter” (wind).
All captives were beaten all the time. Especially, if they came from combat field. Several times I was beaten by drunk militants. But there were others too. Before my eyes an investigator, who interrogated me, caught a fist of his companion. Who was going to hit my head. He didn’t let him do that. I’m sure that he saved me. There was also a man, who wanted to take me to another room and hatchet. The investigator physically stopped him. I don’t even know his nickname. Have no idea who is he and where he is from. He was not talkative. Andrey Ivanovitch, “Veter” was in command of all tortures. People were delivered, brutally beaten and locked in the cell. That “Veter” participated in every beating. We could hear shouts and always heard his voice. At 3 AM, in the morning, in the afternoon, at night – he always participated in beatings. But I’ve never seen the investigator, who saved me, beating somebody. But he didn’t want to release me. I talked to him 5 times, and 5 times he told me: “ You will sit until the war ends. We understand where you will go when we will release you”.
They tortured captives only by beatings?
When they were torturing, they gave us a shock by wires. They were beating us with baseball bats against arms and legs. The used a cross-questioning to pick me up on lie. They asked questions in a way to make me slander myself. Then, they told me that they will shoot me if I wouldn’t tell what they wanted to hear and gave me an hour to think. They wanted me to confess that I was a saboteur. I didn’t slander myself, I hold my own telling that I’m a volunteer. They didn’t shoot me. They haven’t bothered me since then. They told me that people surrender after much less. I understood, that if I would slander myself – it would have been worse.
Did you have any connections with outside world?
We didn’t have visitors because we were considered dangerous for them, we didn’t even work. Other cells were taken out for works: dig trenches, sweep floors, etc. we were not allowed to leave the cell.
How have you been released?
I’m religious person. And I believe in such things as fasting and the pray: those are the most powerful weapons for religious people. five days before my release I started praying and fasting. I haven’t been eaten for a day. I was reading the Bible and praying. And the God gave me his word that I would be released in five days. I told that my cellmates. They didn’t believe, told me that it was better to prepare for worst. I answered: “I’m religious person, I have the God’s word, I know for sure, that they will release me in five days”. There were moments when I had doubts, but I repeated that every day. On Tuesday I told that I would be released in four days. But they released me in three days. All my cellmates thought that I would be imprisoned much longer that they would. They were shocked.
It is obvious that you will never go there again …
I was on uncontrolled territory several times after captivity. And I will go again.
Don’t you scare?
I’m very-very scared. I go to uncontrolled territory, buy humanitarian aid there. I give it to people, who distribute it among needy: about 50 pensioneers, 30 disabled people, and families with little kids. We don’t help lazy people, who don’t want to work, but those, who cannot leave the house. There is work, some for money, some for food. Most people just don’t want to work. I go to a wholesale depot and buy products. Most products are Russian. It can be humanitarian aid, which is delivered from Russia, or smuggled goods.
Isn’t humanitarian aid distributed there?
It is not given for nothing. When I was in captivity, artillery was silent. The moment Russian humanitarian convoy came – artillery shelling is over the city.
Nevertheless, many people are afraid to leave. Especially young men. They are afraid to go to Ukraine because of “junta”. Maximum – they can go to a nearby village, which is controlled by Ukraine and get humanitarian aid there. But they are afraid to be forcibly drafted. Who needs them there in Ukrainian army! They would rather be mobilized to “militia” in Luhansk.
Do you know something about forced mobilization and “militia”?
I know a guy, who was imprisoned for three months. They beat his kidneys, and then he was released, cured and signed to “militia”. Now he is working as a mechanic.
For money?
For free. The guy has just decided to help “militia”. Three months in captivity persuaded him to join them. They wash your brain very well there. First of all, all of them took something. They smoke weed every day, I saw that with my own eyes. But they took something else too. They have glassy eyes, narrow pupils and talk in the same way. That colonel, who tortured me told: “those ukrops (Ukrainians) came to my land … we will win”. I thought: “You brute! You came from Piter (Petersburg), and you tell me – local resident, who occupies whose land”. What’s a liar! And there are plenty of such people. They do even talk identically.
In your opinion, how many militants fight for “idea”?
During a summer advance of Ukrainian army, before the moment when Russian army has massively crossed the border, LNR militia’s authorities threatened to turn over “Grads” towards residential areas and wipe Luhansk out if the AFU will succeed. They didn’t show it on TV, but everyone knew that. We were going to be wiped off the face of the Earth on July 18th. Shelling started at 2 AM and stopped at 2 AM. It was the worst day. About 100 civilians were killed on streets. That day a shell hit a bus, hit a pedestrian crossing, hit a market … — and people died. How do you thing, why militants shell their own city? Mercenaries have to be paid money. But when a man loses his wife, children … he doesn’t need money any more. A mercenary will not put himself to the embrasure. But if he will be told that his family was killed by “ukrops”, he will be do anything. He will go wherever they will send him. Most part of such people has been already killed. There are only mercenaries. Too many locals have died. Mercenaries send locals first, and then go themselves.
By Denis Matsola for Informator.lg.ua