“I am not making any special plans right now”

Vitalii, 16 years old, village of Kyselivka, Kherson region

The village of Kyselyvka, not far from Kherson, was occupied by the Russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Locals recall that they [Russians] often arranged shootouts among themselves because they disagreed regarding the loot. Vitalii, his parents, and two younger brothers spent eight months under the occupation. On November 10, 2022, the Ukrainian military liberated the village. Shortly before that, in September, the boy had spent 10 days in captivity. He tells about his experience laconically and with some distrust.

Vitalii’s story:

— On September 10, 2022, my uncle and I went for a walk. Outside the village, there were burnt military vehicles. The uncle stopped to text a message or to call someone. At that time, a Russian military vehicle was passing by. Four people dressed in the military uniform came out. They stopped us, started checking our phones, asking for whom we wanted to film the military equipment, to whom we planned to hand over information regarding the positions. Finally, they took us to the “pit”.

It was a real pit, near a gas station. There were entrails in it; I think they were pig intestines. We were kept there for two hours. They said they would shoot us, would throw a grenade into the pit. It was scary. Then they tied our hands with plastic ties, blindfolded us, put bags over our heads, and took us to some basement, to a cell. We had stayed there for an hour and were separated then.

I do not know where they took my uncle, but I was taken to a cell where there were already 15 people. It seemed to be some kind of a shower room — everything was tiled and the drain was in the corner. There was something like a bed made of boards, a few chairs. I was the youngest there. The oldest person was 60 years old, a veteran of the anti-terrorist operation. At that time, I was thinking only about being released.

They did not beat me, but they took me for interrogations. My uncle was beaten. Other prisoners were beaten too. I was not fed for the first four days; other prisoners were giving me some food. We were not taken out for walks. In six days, I was transferred to another room; there I was with a man who was arrested because he had a hunting rifle at home. I stayed there for another four days.

On September 21, 2022, they came and said to get out. My uncle, the man with whom I was in the cell, and I were taken out and left near the station in Kherson. Then I found out that we had been kept in the building of the Kherson Court of Appeal. My uncle was beaten, but he did not tell me what happened to him there.

I returned to the village and no longer went for walks or even to the store. I started going out when our [military] liberated the village. Now we have peace; we are not shelled. What am I dreaming about? About nothing. I am not making any special plans. God only knows.

“Four people dressed in the military uniform took us to the “pit”. They said they would shoot us, would throw a grenade into the pit. It was scary. Then they tied our hands with plastic ties, blindfolded us, put bags over our heads, and took us to some basement, to a cell”.