FROM OUR REPORTER
PROKOVS’K — When a huge line of cars and trucks formed at the Chonhar checkpoint two days ago on the way from Melitopol to Crimea with waiting times of five hours, the city’s exiled mayor Ivan Fedorov decided: «The Russians are in a panic ». The same panic that, according to Fedorov, prompted pro-Moscow authorities to announce the evacuation of some villages in Zaporizhia Oblast.
“Something similar to what we observed before the liberation of Kherson is happening,” Major Sergiy Tsehotskyj of the 59th Brigade, who took part in the Kherson counteroffensive and defended Mykolaiv, told Corriere. “The occupiers flee by shielding themselves from civilians while trying to take everything they can from them.” According to the stories of those who are still in the occupied territories, it is now a challenge to find gasoline in the region below Zaporizhia towards Melitopol. And the reason is simple: Kiev forces are bombing fuel depots.
In addition to looting, deportations from Melitopol are also feared. “Only a third of the buses in evacuation convoys are loaded with civilians, the rest transport military personnel. The civilians are taken to Berdyansk, the military in the direction of Mariupol,” Fedorov explains again. The general panic would have triggered a real humanitarian emergency. According to Fedorov, “People are trying to buy medicine and basic necessities.” But the shops are closing. The same applies to hospitals. And the Russians are threatening to shut off water and electricity when the Ukrainian counter-offensive begins.
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For many of the city’s residents, these months of occupation have become a nightmare. “When they came to pick up my wife, I already knew where they were going to take her,” Oleg tells Corriere. Irina never hid her pro-Ukrainian positions and one day – it was May – Russian soldiers came to question her. “They locked her in a pre-trial detention center,” Oleg continues. “They beat her, abused her and released her in a prisoner exchange after a month.”
Irina’s story is just one of dozens bouncing and word-of-mouth on Telegram chats. Since Russian forces took Melitopol in March 2022, citizens have become accustomed to “disappearances,” which often take place in broad daylight. “They can just come to your home without saying where they are taking you or why.” , explains Oleg. “And it’s a very common thing.”
More than 1,000 people have been kidnapped since Melitopol fell to the Russians, Fedorov said. He himself had been captured shortly after the invasion. However, his case became so public that it was traded in March. “More than 500 people are still missing,” Fedorov now explains from his office in Zaporizhzhia, “but it’s difficult to get a full picture because many are afraid to talk about it.” The streets of the city are deserted. Locals, especially girls, avoid walking alone. The body of a 14-year-old girl was found in a park early last summer, Oleg said. The girl was allegedly raped and killed. His body was thrown on the grass. Then another 13-year-old girl was kidnapped. The Russians brought them back two days later. Her parents told everyone that nothing had happened, but she was obviously not well.
Harder to hide torture chambers. According to testimonies collected by Fedorov, there are at least five detention centers and torture chambers scattered throughout the city. “Some are grosser than others: garages or police stations where they keep people cold or starve them in cages. Others are equipped with torture chambers,” witnesses say.
Just like in Kherson, a formation of “partisans” was created in Melitopol in more than a year of occupation, who carry out sabotage actions against the Russians and the collaborators. As a result, paranoia reigns as Russian forces frantically search homes for weapons or explosives. There have been many explosions in recent months. employees killed. railway node affected. And not only. On April 26, twenty Russian soldiers died of poisoning in a trench outside of Melitopol. This is confirmed by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. For Fedorov: “Russian troops working on fortifications in the Zaporizhia region became infected with anthrax because they dug into a pit containing cattle carcasses.” But it’s clear many thought it was another surgery. The umpteenth. While we wait for Melitopol, the city of cherries, to be free again.