"Sitting in a cage." Teacher's story from Balakliya - about her family's stay in captivity and intimidation of the occupiers

She was forced to cooperate with the occupying power and even threatened to rape her daughter in her eyes. Video Day on Radio NV Victoria told how her family was captured, what methods the invaders tried to intimidate her, as well as how the families managed to escape. We were not going to leave about the circumstances of detention for the first time - we were collecting things. My husband went to a checkpoint for medicine - he helped to import medicines in a balacle as a volunteer.

In our private house, the doors were not closed, our yard was open. We were in the middle, at home. Suddenly, five assault rifles came, in a full military screw (equipment - ed. ) Five in our small house. Of course, we were scared a little. The first thought was to hide the phone because I was afraid that they would find something there. The day before, I cleaned the cache because I was going to leave and knew that the phone should be clean. But I was not sure of my daughter. So it happened.

Asked: Shcherbak? That is my last name. So I realized that I came after me. There was no man with us, and my daughter had a different name because she is foster. We were taken to the street almost undressed, as we were home. It was cold on the street, rain. There were two other [assault rifles] - that is, seven assault rifles on us two - a girl and I. I say, "And what so many of you? Are we terrorists? Why do two women have you so much? Even three cars came on us.

" But he did not pay attention to my questions. He took the phone and documents. The only thing left and what he did not like on my phone is my phrase: "We are in occupation. " I do not know what we were detained for. Since the only thing we heard in our address: "Do not like us your semester. " It was the only explanation. [Dialogue was like this]: - You write that you are in occasional. - Where are we? Of course, we are in occupation. - But we will go you! - And I did not ask me to release absolutely.

I live here, this is my land, you came here. Of course, we are in occupation. - Catholic, and that is Vika Zakharova? Vika is my foster daughter, I sent a lot of different photos to me, about Putin, that's all against Rashi. At that time, there was almost no communication or the Internet. But sometimes it was sometimes possible when it appeared. - Is this my daughter, what is it? - It is a flat you to go. Take care that it is a shelet.

- I do not know that she sends there, I do not read, I never, we do not have the Internet - well, you call us here orcs, sows. - I don't call it. And I think to myself: I would tell you how I call you! But I understand that you do not need to get. - Go to go! Yeah, gather, I think, of course. At the ages of my [daughter], they also took away the phone and began to study it. I understood it already when I went into the house. I started dressing immediately - a warm suit, I took a backpack, water.

She left the tablets, as I was a group III disabled, I had a heart attack. That is everything is needed. And by Vika, as they say, they had a whole bunch of remarks because she did not erase anything. They read everything and said, "You do not like your semester. " And here the man pulled up, unfortunately. I had a lot of regrets that he was approaching, because then he was taken away immediately. His phone was clean, but he was no longer heard. He was not even allowed to gather.

We at least left something with us, and as he was, we took away. The three of us were put in a car with grates on the windows. In addition to us, there were two more people and a neighbor who lived in a few houses from us. We were taken to the Balakli Balakli Balakli with bags on our heads about the conditions of being held captive. Planted in a cage. There were special cages in the basement. Today and yesterday, even in the news, I saw such cages in Kupyansk. And we had the same.

They probably brought them specifically for people. They could not lie. It was just a seat, and we were put there. And we sat. We saw only one man there - totaling. He was very beaten and all in the blood. We spent about three hours there. I do not know how exactly, because we had neither phones nor documents. My husband took everything - a backpack with rights, documents on the car, because he came on it, the keys - everything was taken away. We were then transferred to the police.

The police, as far as I understand, had several floors. My daughter and I sat in a basement. And there were three more women. We were sitting in five in the double chamber. One girl, my student, 22 years old, slept on the floor, and we were lying on very narrow wooden taps. It was very stinking because there was neither water nor air. Fresh air did not go at all, and the toilet was located directly in this chamber. As I found out, my husband was sitting in the basement for a few weeks.

Just yesterday I saw this basement on the video - scary, wet, raw. He then told me that the water flowed straight on the walls. And it was impossible to lie down even on the floor at all because the water was standing there. Seven sat in a small chamber. They sat alternately in the taps. We were fed only once a day. My baby ate for the first time a day. We were taken away at 11am, and the next day at 12 o'clock I started knocking on the door and demanding food and water.

Because we were given only two liters of water on the camera. Imagine! It was necessary to go to the toilet and drink. Well, I guessed to bring half a liter of water. I realized where I was going. It helped us a lot. I think about interrogations and attempts to co -cooperate with the occupiers I think that the most important goal is to intimidate, as I have never hid my love for Ukraine. I did not have time to remove my page on Facebook. The Internet was missing very suddenly, I couldn't do it.

I constantly helped, as I could, the Ukrainian army. As she could - called, told, photographed, sent her students. I have a lot of familiar students who are in the Armed Forces. That is, everything I could have done while there was a connection. Why did we already want to leave at that moment? Because I have already realized that local teachers are forced to work. From June, some of my colleagues even went to work and offered their services in the administration as teachers. I couldn't allow it.

That is, I could say, nod my head that "yes, yes, I will sing from September 1" (I was a singer and on the radio, something led something a little, so people knew me). I could say anything you like. But what I think, I understood who I could say it, and who I could not. But there were acquaintances who knew me very well. And apparently, one of them, who knew where we were hiding . . . We lived elsewhere, not where we were registered, we were hiding in such a place that few people knew where we live.

I suspect who could do it, but of course I have no evidence. I saw at interrogation that they were constantly interested in my opinion: how do I feel about the fact that Russia will always be here? And will I work? What do you dream of? At interrogation I tried to say what I think. She answered the questions as sincerely as possible. The interrogation took three.

The first is the propagandist, as I called him, he told "we love Ukrainians very much, we respect what music they have, what culture, they are so good, a little frightened. " - Why are you afraid of us? - Why could I not be afraid? I am in prison, I am now in questioning, three men with weapons question me how can I not be afraid? - But we went with you so much. You were born in the Soviet Union. He washed me for 15 minutes, no longer so young, brains to knock me off the panther.

Sorry, I [bored] listening to it. And apparently something in my eyes was already flashing. I did not follow my face. Then the second already became involved and began to threaten: "In fact you are not afraid of us. " He constantly followed my reactions, the questionnaire. I saw that he was ticking some, he noted everything. And he said, "You preserve us. " I think he felt my true attitude towards them, it was very difficult to hide, visible in the eyes. And really I wasn't afraid.

Some hatred, apparently, flashed in my eyes. The question again made: - What do you want? - I want to survive. - Everything is wanting. And do you specifically? - I want to go home. - And what do you dream of? - I dream that my Ukrainian nation, no matter what, survive that Ukrainians remain like a nation, if you understand me. - Observe, we will take you. And began to threaten.

They wanted me to work on them - went to school, because I was a second education teacher of Russian - not only English, but also Russian. I, the teacher of the Russian language, said: "You still have a Russian language. " That is, they saw the teacher of the Russian language in me. I replied: - I was absolutely not forbidden. In our school and in general in our city Russian is taught, as in the whole Kharkiv region, twice a week, as well as the Ukrainian language, exactly the same.

In our city there is a Russian school # 2 if you didn't know. - It seems, in other gardens it is closed. - I do not know about other cities, I can only talk about my Kharkiv region. I want to teach Ukrainian children! This is my job, I will teach them. But I didn't say that I would teach in occupation. Although I teach them now! I taught, I will teach, and this is my favorite job - to teach children. So I answered. They did not release me about releasing from arrest.

When they began to threaten me, beat and rape my girl before my eyes, then already . . . Unfortunately, my heart could not withstand - I lost consciousness, fell on the floor. They began to bring me to my senses . . . When it was not possible, they probably called an ambulance. In the fast, our boys have already done everything to get me out of here. They said that I already had a heart attack that pre -infarction was again taken away and took me on an ambulance.

Two cars my girl was brought to me already, for an ambulance. We were under drip, and it really took me. Then I could not recover for several weeks. And now, too, to be honest. My husband was released in two weeks. He was sitting in prison for more than two weeks, but he was never called for questioning. None. That is, it is unclear what, what and how. When he was released, they said, "Thank your wife that she asked for you. " And I was there every day. I went to all instances, asked, asked and asked.

But even when they have already released a man, neither documents nor phone. I think it is very difficult to recover after occupation and relationships with the local. Because about a third of the population is sick. These people have long been sick. I am afraid that this bacillus of Rashism has already penetrated the brains of many, incurable. You need to work starting with children. School and culture.

This is archive! To work at school and in culture, people who understand the importance of national education. They loved their homeland, spoke Ukrainian and raised our children! Because if we leave everything as it was, then we will return again. I have acquaintances, quite well acquaintances who have cooperated and even worked very closely with the rashists. I think it's horror. This is betrayal. And we are very difficult with our colleagues survived this betrayal of some of our colleagues.

I learned about the release of Balakliya on 6 [September] when no one knew. Because, as I said, I have acquaintances in the Armed Forces. I was called, they said that there was already cleaning right in the center of Balakliya. Already at half past ten, September six, I wrote to my colleagues that the advanced detachments, special reaches of the Ukrainian army are already in balacles, which will already come regular troops. So it happened. I cried on that day. We couldn't all work.