Hands tied, face coated, highest stage of ache: Ukrainians recount time spent in Russian custody | Exclusive

Baranick Valentin, 53, nonchalantly pulled down his pants to point out the scar on his bottom that he stated was a bullet wound. The Ukrainian man stated he was shot by the invading Russian forces in March.

Like many others, he ended up in Russian custody after they had occupied Trostyanets, a city in Sumy province that shares a 500 km border with Russia. The city is about 35 km from the Russian border.

Men like him had been picked up by Russian forces on the suspicion of getting inside details about the Ukrainian army. They had been being known as prisoners of battle in their very own nation.

How did Valentin find yourself in Russian custody? He stated he was caught when he discovered a grenade exterior his home and went to the riverside to eliminate it.

“That’s when they caught me. They tied my hands, covered my face, and the next morning, transferred me to the railway station from where Russian officers were working,” he narrated.

The railway station is in ruins. It had change into the epicentre of a fierce battle because the Ukrainian army took on Russian forces who occupied the town for over 30 days.

Now again at residence to the good reduction of his spouse and daughter, Baranick Valentin recalled the horror of his time in Russian custody. “I spent a week in custody at the railway station where I was tortured. It was a living hell. Happy I could come back alive,” he said. He was taken into custody on March 18 and released on March 24.

During his time in custody, the Russian forces asked him for contacts of Ukrainian soldiers and their locations.

Olexandr Sasha, 41, is another individual who was kept in Russian custody.

He said, “Russians entered my residence and requested for my cellphone and passport. My cellphone was drained out of battery and did not work so that they took me away for verification. For ten days, from March 16 to 25, I used to be a prisoner. Most of the time, my palms had been tied and face coated.”

He instructed India Today’s reporter that he witnessed killings however didn’t need to discuss it.

“I was tortured as the Russians kept asking the same questions that I had no answers to. They asked about Ukraine military, local government representatives, employees of local departments and location of soldiers.”

Edward Pachkov, 33, stated that his proper hand was nonetheless injured after he confronted ‘the highest level of pain’ whereas in Russian custody.

“Russians stopped me and requested me to point out paperwork. Within minutes, my palms had been tied and I used to be stuffed within the trunk of a automotive. Next few days, I confronted the very best stage of ache. I don’t really feel any sensation in my hand, it’s numb,” he stated.

In all, 22 civilians had been picked up by Russian forces in Trostyanets city of Sumy area in Ukraine. There are a number of who’re nonetheless lacking and virtually day by day, our bodies are discovered within the forest, officers stated.

The metropolis of Trostyanets stays tense despite the fact that the Russian forces have retreated. After the Russian occupation, not a lot is left of the town.

India Today visited properties, official buildings and the native hospital within the metropolis all destroyed. Some different components of Sumy area in northeast Ukraine are nonetheless being pounded by Russian missiles.

The Russians have retreated from Trostyanets however for a lot of, the nightmare isn’t over. Those who confronted the worst of the occupation nonetheless dwell in anxiousness with one query of their minds – what if the Russian forces come again?