Atrocities of Russian troops during the occupation of a village in Chernihiv region: torture and execution of civilians, burning bodies in plain sight, and shelling civilian homes.

The spring of 2022 marked the beginning of tragedy for one village in the Chernihiv region. On that fateful morning, locals were startled by the frantic screams of a mother, echoing for kilometers. Gathering at the village’s central cross, they found the snow-covered bodies of four of their fellow villagers lying in a row. In a state of shock and deep sorrow, relatives used carts and sleds to transport the deceased, burying them in their own yards until better times…

This is the story of crimes committed by Russian soldiers in one of the villages in Chernihiv region. It is told from the testimonies of eyewitnesses, documented by representatives of the Human Rights House – Chernihiv.

Names of the deceased and their relatives have been changed.

Torture and execution of four civilian men

On February 24, 2022, villagers learned of the war’s onset from televisions and calls from loved ones. Later, they heard explosions outside the village. On February 27, Russian military vehicles rumbled through the village streets. The following day, Russian soldiers brutally killed four local men, marking the beginning of the village’s occupation, which lasted a month.

On the eve of March 1, 2022, at least four families stayed awake all night, their men not returning home. Until 7-8 in the morning, each family held onto hope, thinking they might have been delayed due to the occupation, spending the night with friends.

This hope dissipated for Petro first. Early in the morning, he went to search for his son Roman. He walked about a hundred meters from his home to the village’s central cross and saw the bodies of four men. Petro’s heart raced with dread; inside, everything churned with anticipation of impending tragedy. With great difficulty, he approached closer: among the dead was his 33-year-old son.

The tragedy reached Roman’s mother next. The woman collapsed near the cross, wiping the snow from her son’s face and screaming, “My son!!! For what???”. People heard this wild, inconsolable cry of a mother who lost her child from a kilometer away.

Katerina learned of her husband’s death, 34-year-old Stepan, next. Following her, Paulina was wounded by the news of her husband’s murder, 46-year-old Maxim. Julia came to collect her father’s body, 51-year-old Victor, with sleds, the last to know. She lived farthest from the center.

People transported the bodies of the slain to their homes and, as best they could, prepared them for burial. Thus, on the first day of spring, Stepan found his resting place in the garden, where he had planned to plow with his brand-new tractor that year. Maxim was buried beneath the window of the house he loved so much. And Roman – in the orchard, where as a child he loved to taste apples and cherries. Only Julia managed to bury her father in the cemetery: she lacked the strength to bring him home herself, but acquaintances helped her bury him in the cemetery.

Russian soldiers tortured all four unarmed villagers. Their bodies bore gunshot wounds to the genitals and legs, massive bruises, gun and stab wounds.

Murder of civilians and deaths due to lack of medication

On March 11th, the village came under shelling. Homes, streets, and most importantly, people, were affected.

“Uncle Vitya, save dad! Grandma is already dead,”

– with these words, a terrified girl ran to her neighbor.

That day, her grandmother Olena and grandfather Mykita from her father’s side were killed in the shelling. The husband had just come to bring things when a shell hit. Mykita died on the spot. Olena groaned for half an hour: her leg was torn off, so she slowly bled out and died. To alleviate her suffering in any way, the rural paramedic injected painkillers when she could reach the scene.

The son of the landlady, Mykola, also suffered a severe leg injury. But the man survived. He was taken to a neighbor who once served in the navy and knew the basics of first aid. He advised Mykola’s wife to pack the wound to stop the bleeding.

“And you know, she packed that wound. Her father was just killed, her mother-in-law died… But she gathered herself and managed to organize conditions for her husband to survive. Luckily, the paramedic had antibiotics. She injected them into the wounded man, so his condition stabilized. After the village was liberated, he was treated in Ukraine and abroad,” says a neighbor of the family who witnessed the events.

However, six villagers did not survive the occupation: they died due to a lack of specific medications and proper medical care. Among the deceased was the father of the tortured Stepan – Mykhailo. These people were also buried in their own yards.

“Open-air crematorium”

The battles for Chernihiv region lasted from February 24th to March 31st. The enemy repeatedly tried to take Chernihiv and was met with resistance. In many occupied villages, people provided coordinates of enemy equipment and locations of Russian troops. Based on this information, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck. Consequently, the enemy suffered considerable losses.

Many villagers testify that Russian soldiers burned the bodies of their own soldiers. This happened on the territory of a destroyed grain storage.

According to locals, Russian soldiers transported the bodies with ambulances. Then they unloaded them near the demolished grain storage, poured something over them, and set them on fire. They finished off the wounded: villagers heard shots from the side of the storage.

The flames were violet-blue in color. The stench surrounded the area, making it difficult to breathe. This lasted for two days. During this nearly continuous burning, the concrete slabs on the grain storage resembled torn paper.

“In the first two days, the doors of the body trucks were still closed. Later, I saw hands hanging from the sides… The bodies at the farm burned for two days. From the window, I could see two soldiers taking the body, swinging it, and throwing it into the fire. The third one poured something from a bucket, and it burned. Breathing at that time was difficult, there was black smoke,” said a local resident.

Two years have passed. People are returning to normal life. The destroyed farm has been restored and is operating again. At the cross in the center of the village, the Ukrainian flag flies proudly, and a memorial plaque with the names of the slain villagers stands firmly. It serves as a reminder of the war crimes committed by Russian occupiers here…

The material was prepared by Natalia Naidiuk.

This publication is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the framework of the Human Rights in Action Program implemented by Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union.

Opinions, conclusions and recommendations presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the United States Government. The contents are the responsibility of the authors.

USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s work demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience, and advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity. USAID has partnered with Ukraine since 1992, providing more than $9 billion in assistance. USAID’s current strategic priorities include strengthening democracy and good governance, promoting economic development and energy security, improving health care systems, and mitigating the effects of the conflict in the east. For additional information about USAID in Ukraine, please call USAID’s Development Outreach and Communications Office at: +38 (044) 521-5753. You may also visit our website: http://www.usaid.gov/ukraine or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USAIDUkraine.

All images in this material were created using artificial intelligence and are purely illustrative.

Levonky is a small village located in the Chernihiv region, about 25 kilometers from the regional center. About a hundred people live here, and the only one of its kind in Ukraine, the “Regional Center for Social Adaptation,” is located here. It was created mainly for people without a permanent place of residence.

On March 30, 2022, two columns of Russian military vehicles entered the village. On the way, they shot the transformer, immediately cutting off the electricity. After arriving in the village, Russian soldiers selected six local men for work and forced them to saw fallen trees that blocked the bridge over the river. They began conducting searches, trying to find Ukrainian soldiers and those who blocked their path.

“Pray, because your life is over…”

The men sawed the trees and returned. About 20 minutes later, Russian soldiers came back to the houses and took them, leading them to the territory of the Center for Social Adaptation. They took phones from everyone and interrogated them.

The soldiers took the men to the courtyard, made them kneel down, and tied their hands with ropes. They fired shots in different directions, threatening to shoot them. They told one of them, “Pray, because your life is over, we will kill you now, don’t worry—it will be quick.” Then they brought his father and also interrogated and fired shots over his head. Another local resident was beaten, and they threatened to deal with his family.

Later, the Russians took everyone to another room. There was a cage where the men were placed. They had guards and sometimes the commander visited. The men managed to escape only when the Russian military left the village.

Plundering and Destruction

Russian soldiers did not bypass the Center for Social Adaptation and stayed there for a day. They spent the night in a building that the staff used as a warehouse. They stole equipment, mattresses, pillows, dishes, and chairs. They left a mess. Russian soldiers even took things from a second-hand store that were brought here as humanitarian aid. Moreover, they shot two cows from the farm, which were taken care of by the center’s wards.

They looted the houses of local residents, taking whatever they liked. In one cellar, they threw a grenade. Moreover, in the village, Russian soldiers were often seen in a state of drunkenness.

The inscription left by Russian soldiers in the village club: “Forgive us, we came for the Bandera supporters. And there are looters among everyone :)”. Photo provided by witnesses.

Tank with an Explosive Before leaving the village, the wards of the Center were locked in a separate room. Witnesses said that meanwhile, Russian soldiers looted, poured fuel into one of the tanks, set it on fire, and closed the hatch. It burned for about an hour, and then exploded with such force that the tank’s caterpillar flew over the roof, it was found about 150 meters from the explosion site. Another piece of iron buried in the ground damaged the main water pipeline. The utility building collapsed nearby. The tank wheel pierced the trunk of a century-old tree, which fell. Nearby houses were damaged, the ceiling collapsed at the Center for Social Adaptation, windows were smashed, and so on. People managed to get out and put out the fire.

Volunteering

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the wards and employees of the Chernihiv Regional Center for Social Adaptation have been engaged in volunteering. They fed people in Chernihiv who were in bomb shelters with milk from the Levonka farm and other products. They delivered supplies to the blockaded city 25 kilometers away, even during shelling.

Even in just a few days of occupation, local residents were able to experience firsthand what “Russian world” is and how they could help others.

The preparation of informational materials became possible thanks to the Human Rights in Action Program, implemented by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union with the support of #USAID. The views and interpretations presented here do not necessarily reflect the views of the US government, USAID, or #UHHRU. The authors and UHHRU are solely responsible for the content of the publication.

On February 28, 2022, the first column of Russian troops passed through the village of Levkovychi in Chernihiv region, starting an occupation that lasted just over a month. During this period, the Russians brutally killed local residents, detained and tortured them. People also died from shelling and lack of medicine. Houses in the village were damaged and looted.

On January 5, our documentarians visited Levkovychi and recorded evidence of war crimes committed in February-March 2022.

Russian soldiers shot dead four men: Oleksandr Orishko, Oleksandr Derkach, Yaroslav Varava, and Serhiy Nemchenko. Local residents heard gunfire, and later their fellow villagers found them dead. The bodies had numerous gunshot and stab wounds, as well as signs of beating. The men were tortured by Russian soldiers and then killed. The bodies of the deceased were found in the center of the village, right next to the cross. It is known that the men were preparing Molotov cocktails to stop columns of Russian troops, but they had no weapons. Their lives were cut short on the first day of the occupation.

The man who walked from Slavutych to Levkovychi was detained and taken prisoner. The Russians decided to make him a “messenger.” To make him agree, they tortured him, cutting crosses with a knife where tattoos were on his arms and legs. To prevent him from escaping, they went to his parents’ house and took his father hostage. The man was sent to Slavutych to deliver a letter to local authorities. What was written there is unknown, as there was no opportunity to see.

Witnesses who agreed to be interviewed spoke of looting by Russian soldiers. They looted uninhabited houses, and where people lived, they entered and took food, cars, livestock, and even underwear. Shops and the village council were also looted. Local farmers also suffered from abuses by Russian soldiers. Agricultural machinery on a farm in the village was destroyed and shot at. Russian army soldiers used fuel stocks prepared by the farmer for sowing and destroyed grain stocks.

Знищене зерносховище у селі Левковичі

There are many damaged houses in the village, with about 150 of them having damage. They suffered not only from shelling but also from Russian soldiers placing vehicles near houses and firing at Chernihiv. Two people died from shelling. These are Sotnyk Vitaliy and Tovkun Nina. Nina’s son, Oleg Tovkun, was injured and is still undergoing rehabilitation abroad.

The residents of Levkovychi lived in constant fear during the occupation. Civilians were threatened with death, for example, for violating the order not to look towards Russian soldiers or for refusing to accept food under the guise of humanitarian aid. They were forbidden to walk around the village or talk to each other. Living conditions in the occupation were also complicated by the lack of electricity, gas, communication, and especially medicine. In these conditions, six elderly people died in the village.

This continued until April 3, 2022, the day Levkovychi was liberated.

The preparation of this informational material was made possible thanks to the Human Rights in Action Program, implemented by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union with the support of #USAID. The views and interpretations presented here do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Government, USAID, or #UHHRU. The authors and Educational Human Rights House – Chernihiv are solely responsible for the content of the publication.

This photo exhibition tells the story of a trip to the Kherson region. In October, our team of documentarians from the Human Rights Education House in Chernihiv conducted a monitoring mission in the Kherson region as part of the project “Education under fire” (Kherson and Sumy regions).” Our goal was to document attacks on educational institutions.

During the 7-day visit, our team managed to document 15 educational institutions. Most of them are either completely destroyed and beyond restoration or significantly damaged. Russian occupiers lived in many institutions, turning them into torture chambers and ammunition depots, deploying military equipment. Some schools were systematically targeted by Russian forces.

These photos of educational institutions in the Kherson region reveal the truth about what Russia is doing to education in Ukraine.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.  

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Novovoskresensk Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

Novovoskresensk Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

Liubymiv Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.  

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village. 

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village. 

Liubymivska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka  village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

“Novovoskresenska Secondary School I-III Levels, Novovoroncovsky District, Kherson Region, Village Novovoskresenske”

“Novovoskresenska Secondary School I-III Levels, Novovoroncovsky District, Kherson Region, Village Novovoskresenske”

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

The author of the photos: Tetyana Symonenko.

As part of the project ‘Education under fire (Kherson and Sumy Regions),’ with financial support from the Czech organization People in Need, as part of the SOS Ukraine initiative.

The story of bravery and sacrifice of a large Ukrainian family, led by a hero. A family that, despite heavy losses, sticks together and never gives up.

“My Dad is A Hero” – this slogan is now proudly worn on the T-shirts of the younger sons of the Kondrat family, who reside in the small mountain village of Bubnyshche in Ivano-Frankivsk region. Their house stands out among the others – a modest orange building perched on a hill, with two flags flying high on its façade, the blue and yellow alongside the red and black.

These flags were raised when they brought Vladimir’s body home. In the summer of 2023, the father of nine children lost his life in the battlefields of Donbas. The news sent shockwaves throughout the region, raising questions about how a father from such a large family found himself on the front lines.

His wife, Maria, offers a simple answer to that: “Vladimir made the decision to go, and nobody could stop him anymore.”

A Happy Dad

Maria and Vladimir had known each other since birth, growing up as neighbors and attending the same school. After Vladimir finished his military service, he returned to Bubnyshche, where they celebrated their wedding. Over the years, they welcomed seven boys and two girls into their family. The oldest, Andriy, is already 23, and the youngest, Sofia, is just two.

Their village, located far from the center of the Bohorodchany community, offered few job opportunities. The only options were at the primary school or the local medical center where Maria worked as a nurse.

To support their large family, Vladimir often traveled for work. Initially, he worked abroad, and later, in major Ukrainian cities, where he worked in construction and repairs. During this time, Maria took care of the children, tended to the garden, and looked after the livestock.

Even though their father was frequently away, Andriy, the oldest son, fondly remembers him: “He was generous and never complained about money. We went through all sorts of difficulties, but whenever he had the opportunity to buy something better, he spared no expense for us. And when Sofia was born, he was overjoyed, like any proud father. He really wanted another daughter.”

Father, son, and two uncles – all in the military

As full-scale war broke out, four men in the Kondrat family donned military uniforms. Among them was Vladimir’s 19-year-old son, who shared his father’s name.

Andriy reveals that they tried to convince both of them to stay home, but it was in vain. On February 24, when the capital, Kyiv, came under attack, Vladimir was working there. He wanted to go to the east immediately but returned home after their pleas. From there, he left for his duty. Younger Vladimir followed soon after.

While at home, Vladimir rarely talked about the war. The family still doesn’t know his callsign or even see his patches. However, they are certain that he experienced enough because each time he warned them he might not return from his next trip to the frontline. During his last visit to Bubnyshche, he showed his sons where he kept his tools, so they could continue the repairs he had started. As a memento, he left a few military uniforms for his oldest son, Andriy. The son cherishes them.

Younger Vladimir also came home briefly a few times, but it was evident that the service took a toll on him.

“When he started talking about the frontline, it was hard to get him to stop. He witnessed death and bodies that had been left unevacuated for months. Once, to save a wounded comrade, he had to drag him through a minefield himself,” says Andriy.

Two uncles of the Kondrat family also became military men. One is Maria’s brother, and the other is Vladimir’s brother. The former, Mykhailo, was also in the heat of the Russian-Ukrainian war and lost his arm. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

Life After Loss

After Vladimir’s death, younger Vladimir was sent to Kyiv from the frontlines. The family hopes he will return to Bubnyshche eventually. For now, the oldest son, Andriy, is in charge at home. He juggles two jobs, providing people with internet and surveillance setup and repairing laptops and phones. He often works late, with occasional trips to Lviv. Despite the long hours, he doesn’t complain; he says he enjoys his work.

Maria will return to work as a nurse at the local medical center in March of the following year. Sofia is about to turn three, and since there is no kindergarten in the village, they are still considering what to do with her. The boys attend school – the younger ones in the local Bubnyshche school, and the older ones travel to a neighboring village, Polyanitsa, where they attend a higher grade. They get there by bus, and in winter, they have to walk through the whole of Bubnyshche to reach the bus stop at the other end of the village, a two-kilometer journey.

After the funerals, Maria was left wondering what to do. Grief weighed heavy on her heart, her son was at the front, and she still had to raise six underage children.

Maria found support from the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk regional organization of “Moloda Prosvita,” Eugenia Bardyak, who launched a call among Ukrainians to help the family financially. Most people sent money, while some also sent groceries and clothes. The donations were first used to purchase a sofa for the house because they didn’t have enough sleeping space. The older kids had to spend nights at their grandmother’s place. They also bought a washing machine, which greatly eased Maria’s household chores, as she had to do laundry every day.

Maria is grateful for the support and says it will make life a bit easier for some time. But they don’t plan to rely solely on outside help. This big family sticks together and continues to support each other. They often visit Vladimir’s grave, with little Sofia accompanying them. When they step through the cemetery gates, she already knows the way and points her finger to show where her dad rests.

This material was prepared by Tetiana Pigurska, a participant in the educational program “Truth Through Stories,” which is carried out 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 Struggle for Freedom and Democracy.”

The village chief in Chernihiv region tells a story about a month without light, the strength of the community, and what it means to be a hero.

In the morning, it’s warm and calm on the street as my colleagues and I arrive in the village of Pryputni. A man on a bicycle approaches us and introduces himself as Anatoliy Mykolaiovych. Anatoliy is a polite and friendly man who immediately invites us to the village administration. Based on his conversations with local residents, we understand that he is the village chief, well-informed about everything that’s happening. During the occupation, he used to ride his bicycle around the village daily to ensure the well-being of the locals. The village chief explains that we’ve stopped at the same crossroads used by the occupiers as they advanced towards Kyiv, pointing out the affected individuals and buildings. He inquires about everyone’s well-being and what kind of assistance is required.

We introduce ourselves and mention that we are volunteers from Belarus, and we do not support either the occupiers or the dictators. Anatoliy Mykolaiovych agrees to be interviewed.

What were you doing before the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022?

On February 23, 2022, I was called to the municipal office, where they informed me about what to do in case a war breaks out. We agreed that starting from March 1, I would assume the duties of the village chief.

Could you have left the village?

No, this is the village where I live with my family. I couldn’t leave them or the village.

On February 24, we woke up to the sound of explosions and shelling. The first columns passed through our village. They had good equipment and behaved non-aggressively. They waved to us and allowed us to take pictures and shoot videos. It felt like they were confident that they were welcomed here.

Our village was only used as a transit point for the columns. The occupiers would come to us only when they got lost or needed water. At that time, 350 people lived in the village.

From March 1, the village was cut off from electricity. Local residents rallied together and supported each other as best they could. After a week, their bread ran out, and the local grocery store had only enough supplies for two weeks.

We see how difficult it is for our hero to recall these events, so we pause. During this time, the village chief receives a phone call, and we hear him ask someone what kind of assistance is needed. We understand that he has just helped someone from the villagers.

How did you manage to provide the village with everything it needed?

The village was blocked by the occupiers. They used the paved road, so we had to use dirt and forest paths. These paths went through swamps and were covered in snow. That’s how we made our way to the pontoon bridge. These roads were only suitable for tractors and special vehicles; regular cars couldn’t pass.

A local entrepreneur contacted us through the municipal office. He could deliver 10 bags of flour for two villages, and we divided the seven bags we received among our residents in one-liter jars – 2.5 jars per family. We transported two bags through the forest to a neighboring village, where the residents gave us oil. We distributed half a liter of oil to each family. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for everyone. After some time, the same entrepreneur helped us with bread and brought 200 loaves, which amounted to half a loaf per family. The village we were supposed to take the bread from was 12 kilometers away.

How did the villagers behave while the village was under occupation?

There were shelling and bombardments every day. The military noticed that local residents were observing the movement of their equipment, so they started shooting in the air to prevent people from going outside and witnessing what was happening around.

People in the village came together and started helping each other more, putting aside any previous quarrels and disputes. We conducted daily rounds of the village to check on everyone’s well-being. One night, they started shelling a house. They fired armor-piercing and regular bullets. After the attack, we went to check if anyone was hurt, and the homeowner responded. It turned out that the Russian soldiers had been looking for their deserters. Afterward, we relocated the homeowner and her daughter to another house.

How did the occupiers behave?

In the early days, the occupiers shot two of our young men. We found one with a gunshot wound to the head, and the other’s remains consisted of just bones. During the village’s occupation, the occupiers killed seven residents. The last one was killed as we were leaving. We noticed that, after a month, the occupiers became very nervous and started shooting randomly to keep people from going outside. The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ artillery was hitting their positions accurately.

And what about the local residents?

While our village was blocked and there was no way to move between villages, people from neighboring villages gathered to establish logistics. I stayed in the village for a month and couldn’t leave the village because I couldn’t leave the villagers alone, feeling responsible for them. Even when I had to go to the municipal office, I understood that I would be more helpful in the village. My family, my wife, daughter, and son, stayed with me throughout this time.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t defend ourselves, so we did everything we could to help and protect each other and gather information about the enemy’s movements on our land. During this time, we didn’t notice anyone from our village assisting the occupiers or expressing support for the “Russian world.” The church in our village has been Ukrainian for a long time, but there are some parishioners of the Moscow Patriarchate. Even they didn’t show themselves as supporters of the “Russian world.”

So, you are a true hero…

I don’t consider myself a hero—I did everything I could. I organized the construction of roads, personally drove special vehicles to avoid risking people’s lives when the roads were shelled. We succeeded in providing people with essential supplies. We moved the municipal office to a safer location and provided it with electricity when there was no power for a month. My main concern is that people have everything they need, and I’m pleased that people believe in me and offer their support. The villagers collected 100,000 hryvnias for a fence to make our village even more beautiful. We’ve been fortunate with mild winter weather, and it’s been a fruitful year.

We thank Anatoliy Mykolaiovych for the interview, and we continue to talk with him for a long time after the interview ends. The village chief shows us a diary he kept during the occupation, sharing stories about individual villagers and their heroic acts.

But this is a completely different story. Here, every person has their own unique story. Each one did and continues to do everything they can.

And each one is a hero.

Prepared by Alyona Zharkovych and Maksym Dmytrakov within the framework of the “Truth through Stories” School.

Translation from Belorussian: Darya Danova.

This 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 Struggle for Freedom and Democracy.”

The resident of the village of Priputni in Chernihiv region tells a heartbreaking story of civilians killed by the Russians.

Priputni is a small village in Chernihiv region. The Russian military was first seen here on February 25, 2022, and they stayed in the village until the end of March 2022, causing the most damage as they retreated. As you walk through the village, it’s hard not to notice the visible scars of war: burnt houses, destroyed buildings, and the traces of military vehicles on the asphalt.

But what the naked eye can see is only the tip of the iceberg. To see more, you must be willing to speak and listen.

As we stroll through Priputni, we meet a woman in her fifties, dressed in a blue floral robe and a warm sweatshirt. She wears a headscarf. The woman is returning from her garden, and by her side is a friendly dog with a wolf-like face named Aira. Aira approaches us, and her owner lovingly says, “Don’t bother them, dear, they’re strangers.”

We begin to talk to Mrs. N. (we don’t mention her full name for safety reasons), explaining who we are and where we’re from, and most importantly, what we want to write about. As soon as she hears the word “Russians,” tears start to well up in her eyes.

“My son was killed by the Russians. They shot him…”

That’s when we learn that Mrs. N. had two sons: one was 24 and the other 19 years old. The older one was killed by the Russian military, and he was a civilian. Warning: the following text contains sensitive material.

“He was friends with another guy, well, more like an acquaintance because the guy was much older. But they were close. He had tractors, so my son used to help him with the tractors and everything. Well, they were killed together when they were going to work in Krupychpole. The Russians shot them at the beginning of Krupychpole. They just burned that guy; he was burnt alive, there was nothing left, just charcoal, burnt to the bone… and my son was found with him, at least he still had his body, even though he was badly burnt.”

This is not an isolated case of Russians killing civilians. Unfortunately, among the local residents, there have been seven casualties.

“They went into other people’s houses, checked homes, and where no one lived, where the houses were empty because people had left, they lived there… They took our food. My neighbor lives over there; they took her butter, bread, all the oils, everything they could find, they took it all. Let them take it, I said. But why did they kill people? Like my son, for what? Innocent people. They shot our locals in Krupychpole. A couple was going to a funeral in Vyshnivka, so on their way there, near Verbychky, just as you head to Vyshnivka, they were also shot. And one man went… You see, the house over there already burned down, so he went there to put out the fire, and they killed him near the village council…”

Mrs. N. confesses that there was a time when the residents of Priputni buried their fellow villagers not in the cemetery but near the church. The hard decision was based on simple safety considerations: neither the priest nor the local residents wanted to risk their lives by going to the cemetery.

Mrs. N. also recalls an incident when an elderly woman was blown up by a landmine.

“There was also a woman who blew herself up on a landmine, on the bridge. We told her not to go, not to go at night… but she didn’t listen and went anyway. Well, we heard a big explosion.”

This woman doesn’t complain about life. She agrees to the publication of her story only on the condition of anonymity because she fears that the Russians might return and seek revenge for this truth. She says life goes on somehow, and they neither receive nor expect any help. She says, “Who cares about us here?”

The only thing that truly worries her is that she can’t afford to put up a tombstone for her son; there’s just a simple cross. Friends console her, saying that heaven has accepted him anyway. But it seems that a proper burial of her beloved son means a lot to Mrs. N.

As she talks about what she’s been through, she doesn’t cry. She stays strong. Sometimes, Aira, the mischievous little pup, seems to sense that her owner’s pain is becoming unbearable and that’s when she does something cute and silly: chasing her tail or trying to nibble on our sneakers. And the smile returns to the woman’s face.

And the sun shines brightly, just like it does during Indian summer.

And life goes on in the village of Priputni in Chernihiv region.

The material was prepared by Kristina But as part of the «Truth Through Stories» School.

The project is implemented by the Education Human Rights House (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».