The picturesque village of Pryputni in Chernihiv region is one of many villages that endured Russian occupation. Friendly people live here, still recovering from the temporary occupation.

Residents recount that the Russians did whatever they pleased in the village – rummaging through cellars, catching and slaughtering chickens, forcing homeowners out of their houses, indulging in drinking, and causing havoc. Tanks destroyed houses, a store, fences around the church and school. Much harm was done, but everything can be rebuilt; the lives of seven fellow villagers, however, cannot be recovered—five were shot by Russian forces, and two detonated mines.

For a small village with around three hundred inhabitants, this is a great tragedy, and they can’t stop talking and crying about it.

On February 25, 2022, tanks and heavy equipment of the “Russian world” entered the village.

We meet a local, Hryhoriy Oleksandrovych Oliynyk, born in 1936. He worked as a driver in the local collective farm and later managed a farm. Together with his wife, they raised three daughters and have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His wife, Vira Petrovna, passed away in 2003, and he now lives with his daughter Lyudmyla, son-in-law Oleksiy, and grandson Vladyslav in their house. The young man, along with his grandfather, emotionally recounts the atrocities committed by the occupiers in their village.

Killed by Russia

Ten kilometers from Pryputni lies the village of Krupychpole. In mid-March, Yevhen Chemeris and Oleksandr Hryshchenko were traveling there and were shot with a machine gun, burning in their car. This happened in mid-March, according to Hryhoriy Oleksandrovych.

The next story is even more shocking in its cruelty and cynicism. In the neighboring village of Vyshnivka, three kilometers from Priputni, Hryhoriy Prodani’s father died. He and his wife Svitlana were riding on bicycles to the funeral in the morning. Unfortunately, they ran into a column of Russian mercenaries who simply shot the couple. The man died instantly, and the woman died in the hospital. Three children became orphans.

Another emotionally recounted story is about medics Volodymyr and Tetiana Pabat (known as Symoni) who stayed in the occupation with their two children to provide medical assistance. On March 31, 2022, they were returning with their children Hanna and Sasha from the Bezborodkiv hamlet on the edge of the village. Their car hit an anti-tank mine, and the parents died, the children suffered severe injuries yet survived. Now, Hanna is raising her younger brother; he is her entire family.

There are countless tragic stories for the grandfather and grandson. Each story is emotional, and tears cannot be held back.

How Bohdan and his father Mykola stole the “Hurricane”

But there are also stories that truly impress with their bravery. When the occupiers entered the village, as Vladyslav recounts, they looted and robbed the store, so there was no bread to buy for a while. Villagers helped each other survive as best they could. Those with flour baked bread and pancakes and shared them with neighbors. Those who lost their homes were sheltered by fellow villagers. After two weeks, risking their lives, locals started bringing bread from Ichnia. Families with children received a loaf per child, and adults received half a loaf each. That’s how they survived.

Vladyslav’s friend, Bohdan Hryshchenko, together with his father Mykola, residents of Vyshnivka village, stole a “Hurricane” from the occupiers in broad daylight, drove it into the woods, and then handed it over to the Nizhyn Territorial Defense. Ukrainians don’t abandon their own, and they will always come to help, Vlad says.

Epilogue

Life goes on; a cat with kittens joined the family, and they feed them because they are so small and helpless, says Lyudmyla. We wish them health, victory, a peaceful sky, and invite them to Kropyvnytskyi.