Новини
«We came to liberate you. You will receive a large pension», the occupiers told Mykola when they settled in his country house.
Mykola Luhina lives with his family in Chernihiv, but often visits his cabin in Zolotynka. A small remote village is located approximately 25 kilometers from the regional center. This man keeps an apiary here and grows his own food in a garden.
Before the full-scale invasion, he used to enjoy fishing and collecting mushrooms. He never goes to the forest or to the river anymore because of the signs warning about mining around the village.
«Grads» and tanks were placed near civilians’ houses
On March 3, 2022, columns of the Russian military entered Zolotynka. Some went to the nearby village of Yagidne, while others stayed here. Heavy weapons were placed right in locals yards, thus making civilians a human shield.
«They visited many yards, mine included. I ran out and shouted: where are you going? There was a pile of firewood in the yard at that time. And the soldier immediately headed to the barn», the man recalls.
Later, six Russians came to the pensioner. They searched all the rooms, the attic, the basement and demanded to heat water for their dinner.
«I told them I don’t have gas. Actually I had a bit, but it was running low. Then one of them took a machine gun and started shooting around the room. Bullets went through a bucket, nightstands, a pan, cans of flour. His commander was very angry when he found out about that. He told me to give him a mop and a rag to let him clean», says the pensioner.
They decided to stay at his house. Soldiers felt very confident using local’s belongings and let him stay at the house. So the owner had a chance to see and hear what they were doing.
Under the same roof with the enemy
Almost all the inhabitants of the village had to deal with the unwanted guests. First, Russians of Slavic appearance, and then Buryats and Tuvans. Slavs lived at Mykola’s.
«I have only one room that can be heated, but during that period, while the military was there, not a single door was closed. They were always in bulletproof vests. They couldn’t walk through the door properly. Ukrainian artillery was stationed not so far away, so when they heard «boom», they immediately ran to the cellar.»
Sometimes they even took potatoes from the cellar and also tried to steal spoons from the kitchen. The man laughs while recalling this incident. He says he persuaded them to return the cutlery, telling tales about Koncha-Zaspa and the golden toilets waiting for the Russians near Kyiv.
The pensioner lived with soldiers who did not drink alcohol at all. It was worse in other houses. People were even taken to the toilet at gunpoint. When Russians were drunk, they arranged shootings.
Two locals of Zolotynka were taken somewhere by force. Later, people found out that they were kept in a basement in Yagidne and then killed.
Between these terrible memories, the pensioner also recalls conversations with Russians. He asked why they came and what they wanted here. In response, he heard about liberation and high pensions.
«I told him, look, my grandchildren used to visit me, they were playing and I was happy. And you came and ruined me. It’s not liberation when you destroy everything.»
A few days later, the military left Mykola’s house and drove away from the village. The newcomers were no longer settled, even when a new column arrived in Zolotynka. Then, due to the lack of electricity, the man lived in obscurity for about a month.
«BM-21 Grads» and «BM-27 Uragan» were located not far from his house. He says that sometimes he and his neighbors were sitting in their homes as if in a movie theater: they watched heavy equipment fire shells at Chernihiv, then Kolychivka, and later they fired at Ivanivka.
«Come out, aimer!»
«That day, when it was already dusk, I saw an armored personnel carrier driving and they stopped near me. Viktor Ivanovich was being transported on it. When will he come back, «Not soon» – they said. He never returned. He was also taken to Yagidne. I was told that he was in the basement until he heard the shout: «Aimer, come out.» When our people entered the village, they found him and three others buried,» the pensioner recalls with sadness in his eyes.
Mykola Luhina’s story was recorded in Zolotynka, a year and a half after its de-occupation. The man continues to take care of his farm here. Other locals had returned back home. The village lives almost the same as before the occupation. The only reminders of this hell are mined fields, a burnt-down car, and locals whose stories will not be forgotten.
The material was prepared by Tetiana Pyhurska and Kateryna Trofymenko as part of the «Truth Through Stories» School.
The project is implemented by the Human Rights Education House in Chernihiv with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as part of the local transformation project «Ukraine and Ukrainians: Modern Chronicles of the Fighting for Freedom and Democracy».
