Russians came to Shmyhelsky on April 24, 2022 – on Easter. The Christian holiday didn’t prevent searches at work and at home. The Russians persuaded Mr. Shmyhelskyi to cooperate, talked about the referendum and benefits of betrayal. When that didn’t work, they used their usual terrorist methods. The head physician recalls being taken to a room with bars for detainees on the hospital’s territory: “They handcuffed me, and they also interrogated the driver. They took me to the premises for prisoners. They beat me and threatened to torture with electricity and boiling water. And they continued beating me. They kept me handcuffed for about three or four hours.”
Then there was another search. The Russians took his money and valuables and ordered him to leave the town within 24 hours. Valentyn Shmyhelskyi was lucky to stay alive. Most often, people who refused to cooperate or aroused the slightest suspicion among the Russians disappear without a trace.
Read the story Valentyn Shmyhelskyi, a Ukrainian doctor Snihurivka in the Mykolayiv region, about life and work under occupation.