Stories of three women who survived Russian captivity

At least 126 Ukrainian women are in Russian captivity – such data were made public by the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine. 80 of them are civilians, 46 are military.

The Geneva Convention does not regulate the detention of civilians. That is, they should be released. However, the Russians capture many Ukrainian civilians.

Lyudmila Huseynova and Viktoriya Andrusha are civilian women who were captured by the Russians. They and military medic Maryana Mamonova spoke about their experience of being in captivity during this year’s Book Arsenal.

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“UP.Zhyttia” recorded their stories and transmits the text version of the stories.

Lyudmila Huseynova

Phuman rights defender, was held captive by the Russians from 2019 to 2022.

Lyudmila Huseynova at the Book Arsenal/Photo: Art Arsenal

Lyudmila spent 50 days in the “Isolation” prison in the temporarily occupied territory. Her story of a “captive civilian” began even before the full-scale invasion of Donetsk region.

The woman helped orphans in occupied Novoazovsk and publicly expressed a pro-Ukrainian position. She was arrested at work. According to the “case materials”, her acquaintances testified about her position.

Next – direct speech.

I am happy that it was closed “Isolation”. I stayed there for 50 days. Those were the scariest days of my life.

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I testify that any woman who was in “Isolation” was not simply tortured. She was raped. This is one of the worst abuses of Ukrainian women, and they have been there for years.

Unfortunately, this does not only happen to women, but I am talking about what I experienced.

Forced undressing, forced examinations of men, abuse of genitals – it’s all sexual abuse. Bany coercive sexual act or exploitation of another person’s sexuality without their consent – this is a crime.

After almost two months of stay in “Isolation” I was transferred to Donetsk SIZO and kept there for about three years. I lived in a cell with criminals, with women who fought against Ukraine, convicted of murder, drugs or other serious crimes.

When I was taken out of “Isolation”, they brought me to a cell measuring 20 square meters. In that cell, people lived their lives: they slept, drank and smoked around the clock. A hole in the floor – it was their toilet. When I went there for the first time, I couldn’t see anything because of the thick cigarette smoke. I stood at the door and did not know where to go.

The so-called “looker” asked me what article I belonged to and gave me the label: “dot”. And rushed. It was just constant pressure: you see those evil eyes, you’re afraid to turn your back because you don’t know what’s going to happen. These people are in prison for brutal murders, several of them had AIDS, several more – for tuberculosis One woman was sick with syphilis. I slept with them on the same bed and breathed the same air.

I lived in this hell for three years. Olga Meleshchenko was brought to our cell seven months before her release. Her family allowed me to name her. At this moment, she is being tortured in Russian captivity. I remember when Olya was pushed into this cell, she had a terrible tantrum, she huddled in a corner and cried. And the guards laughed at that.

She then explained that she had heard that this cell housed the most brutal killers.

In 2021, Ukrainian prisoners of war were brought into the cell above us. Through the window we saw them being led away with sacks on their heads and their hands tied with tape. There, in the cell above us, they were tortured. They were forced to sing the anthem of Russia and shout these Russian slogans. But we had no way to help them.

We also did not have any medical assistance, the right to protection, to meet with relatives, because there was no application with a request to organize it – was not accepted.

I’m sorry that at that time such women were not talked about so loudly. Perhaps now fewer of them would have had this experience. I hope that when those territories and those women are liberated, they will have the strength to speak about it, and society will have empathy for such terrible stories.

I really ask everyone not to call people who were captured by Russia victims. We are not victims. We are the ones who survived, survived, endured.

It gives strength, an opportunity to move on, develop and help others. I have many friends here, I have been accepted by a community organization, and I am inspired by women who have come out of captivity and have the strength to speak about it.

I want women who have experienced torture, abuse, physical, sexual violence to know that there is an opportunity to live on.

Lyudmila Huseynova was released from captivity on October 17, 2022, along with 107 other women.

Victoria Andrusha

A teacher, she was in Russian captivity from March to September 2022.

Victoria Andrusha/Photo: Art Arsenal

25-year-old Victoria from the Chernihiv region was captured by the Russians already during the occupation of the north of Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion.

On March 27, Russian soldiers took Viktoria from her home because they found data on enemy equipment in her phone, which she transmitted to the Armed Forces. Later, she was taken to the Russian Federation and held in the Kursk SIZO.

Next – direct speech.

Us (civilians – ed.) were not separated from our soldiers in captivity. Ukrainian women looked at me from all sides, I was constantly pushed against the wall. They always punished me for not doing something the way they wanted.

Conditions were different in places of detention. At first, everyone was as cruel as possible. They directly stated that they did not consider me a person: “I am glad that once a week for three minutes they give me the opportunity to take a shower.”

When we spoke Ukrainian, the guards knocked loudly on the cell door and forced us to speak Russian. Ukrainian annoyed them immensely, they even threatened to do something to us if we didn’t stop, but it didn’t come to that.

We had no hygiene products, bar soap was issued once a month, and once every two months – toilet paper. The clothes did not change, the uniform was issued to us once at the beginning.

Everyone wanted to touch me while I was in captivity. Physical violence was used, then psychological violence began. With all this, I began to fade as a person. But if there are normal people in the cell with the person who are able to support, it is easier to survive.

We were in the Kursk pre-trial detention center for six months, then they started transporting us. There were thoughts that we would be fired, but no one directly said so until the very end. On the contrary, the employees of the pre-trial detention center said that we were going to Siberia and the Taiga. But when we were put on a military bus and were not blindfolded, we realized that we were going home.

After the captivity, I faced the fact that I did not want anyone to touch me. This is one of those phenomena that is common to many. However, a person who has survived captivity must be surrounded by relatives who can support him.

There is no need to get into a person’s soul and ask something. She will tell everything herself if she wants to. Let her be inspired by will and freedom, enter the rhythm of life.

Do not try to adjust everything so that the person is comfortable. She herself will ask for help when she needs it.

A doctor, she was in captivity from March to September 2022.

Maryana Mamonova/Photo: Art Arsenal

A military medic from the Rivne region was captured by the Russians during the hostilities in Mariupol.

Maryana found out she was pregnant in Mariupol. She bore a child in captivity. Relatives of the girl said that there were days when she ate only two apples in a whole day.

Next – direct speech.

I was afraid of capture the most in my life.

I was given almost no medical care, even though I was pregnant. Only in the seventh month did a doctor come to the colony where I was kept. I had so much swelling that I could not move and asked the girls to lift my legs.

The examination was carried out in the cell and they said that I was not missing anything. But then the head of the colony still squeezed out: “She has such a terrible appearance, do something with her.” So I was taken to the Donetsk hospital.

In Donetsk, I underwent ultrasound diagnostics, and all the help ended there. In the eighth month of pregnancy, on August 23, I was taken to the hospital, where I was supposed to give birth. I remembered this day because I thought that I would be exchanged.

In the hospital, they treated me with caution, because they thought I had a criminal conviction. But, as it turned out, it is better to be criminally convicted than to be a Ukrainian soldier. At first it was very difficult, the deadline did not allow me to show my “I”, because I had no other way out, except to stay there.

But later they started to treat me better in the hospital and even gave me more food. I remember that I couldn’t eat enough, because I thought that they would take it away now and there would be no more.

When I was in Reindeer, it was our military medics who provided medical assistance to our soldiers. This was a very big plus, because no one else will treat the Ukrainian military with such kindness, warmth and love. When Russian doctors came to us, they didn’t even open the door. Their “feeder” was opened and several pills were thrown into it, which everyone flocked to.

We were treated like dogs. It was not allowed to touch or approach us.

Usually, in such conditions, all chronic diseases emerge, and they are different for everyone. There was a constant shortage of medical supplies. And when our medicine ran out, there was nothing to treat us at all.

After the captivity, I realized that a person who experienced it is needed

just accept it as it is. She is the same as everyone else. Just with her difficult life experience, with which she will spend the rest of her life.

You should not focus on who was where and what he was doing. Not everyone wants to talk about it. It takes several months for a person to understand what happened to him and realize this experience.

Maryana Mamonova and more than 200 other Ukrainian soldiers who defended Mariupol were exchanged for former people’s deputy from the “OPZZH” party Viktor Medvedchuk, who is accused of treason, and several more Russian soldiers. Maryana was released on September 21, and four days later she gave birth to a girl.

You may also be interested in:

“Kyril is on the asterisk.” The story of a mother who survived the capture and death of her military son

“Katya, you just don’t bury me.” Stories of wives of prisoners of war marines who defended Mariupol

“I know what fear is.” Women’s conversations about violence