Escaped and was running through the woods for a day: a resident of Kupyansk captured by the enemy about life under occupation

Kupyansk is a town in the Kharkiv region, 5 km from the Russian border, with a population of about 30,000. Enemy vehicles entered Kupyansk on the 4th day of the full-scale invasion. The local mayor, Gennady Matsegora is the only one head of the locality in Ukraine who has officially agreed to cooperate with the occupiers. But the residents of Kupyansk did not put up with it, repeatedly went to pro-Ukrainian rallies, demanded that the racists liberate the city and release the patriots. Read about how the city lives in the conditions of temporary occupation in the ICTV Facts article.

Residents if Kupyansk speak mostly Russian language, almost every family has relatives or friends in the Russian Federation and a large number of locals, despite Russia’s war in Ukraine for eight years, did not consider the neighboring country an enemy.

– They were worried about simple household issues and it seemed that they did not care which country’s flag hung over the city council, – said one of the resident .

However, in the last few years, a powerful pro-Ukrainian movement has emerged in Kupyansk with locals fighting illegal deforestation, seeking quality food in schools and kindergartens, exposing corrupt officials and demanding that the government report on budget expenditures. People staged pickets, blocked roads and demanded that the authorities pay attention to them. It was these people who on March 1, 2022, when the occupiers entered the city, took part in the action “Kupyansk is Ukraine” to show the occupiers the way to the Russian ship.

 «I decided to take part in the negotiations. There will be order in the city “, – the head of Kupyansk handed over the city to occupiers

Hundreds of Kupyansk residents who did not want to live under the occupiers took part in the protest on March 1, 2022. After all, a few days before that, on February 27, Kupyansk Mayor Hennadiy Matsegora published a video message in which he stated that he had surrendered the city to the enemy.

Matsegor was reported by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of encroaching on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine and treason (Part 2 of Article 110, Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). However, he continues to stay in occupied Kupyansk and cooperate with the invaders. Several weeks of living under the occupiers showed that there would be no promised order. On condition of anonymity, we publish information provided by one of the residents of Kupyansk:

– There are no police and if someone robs, a person has to rely on himself and these moose do not protect anyone! In Kupyansk-Vuzlovo and Kovsharivka the boys organized themselves and were on patrol and in Kupyansk, a man shot people in a supermarket, looting is booming. Despite the fact that Matsegora-traitor promised order, there is no order.

The mayor–traitor sells the Polish humanitarian through his shop

– Kindergartens and schools do not work. The price of gasoline is UAH 100 per liter, but it is unrealistic to buy, only from repurchases. Money can be transferred only by paying 15-20%. The shelves in the shops are empty, if something appears – the prices are sky-high … Sausages at UAH 315 per kilogram, chicken fillet at UAH 290 per kilo! Our mayor-traitor sells Polish humanities through his shops. Or hand out a Russian humanitarian in the square and then we see the same appears in stores. There are hryvnias, rubles and dollars. There is a great shortage of drugs, insulin, antibiotics, sell used drugs and  people pay any money, – said residents.

On March 11, 2022, Matsegora  wrote another appeal, where he said that Oschadbank operates in the city,  the Pension Fund operates remotely, utilities will have enough fuel for three days, lack of medicines, not enough food.

“Work” on lists

Many people who were at the rally were searched by the occupiers, armed soldiers surrounded the yard and broke down doors. It happened that invaders came home to activists on the APCs. People are hiding, some miraculously managed to escape from the occupied city.

– They are looking for people on a list, I ran away and ran through the woods, – on condition of anonymity told ICTV Facts one of the activists.

Another resident of Kupyansk, said that Mykola Masliy, a local deputy and ATO veteran is still in captivity:

– There were 10 people in the basements as of March 6, as many as now – I don’t know, they don’t say but some were released. Invaders searched houses, confiscated equipment, cars, and looted. There is still no connection with Mykola.

Mykola Masliy

They are working with him – the occupiers about the prisoner Mykola Masliy who has not been in touch since March 1

Hundreds of citizens took part in the action “Kupyansk is Ukraine” on March 1. Mykola Masliy, a deputy of the Kupyansk council and a veteran of the anti-terrorist operation was in front of the column. He could not accept the fact that the occupier wanted to capture his hometown and on the second day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine wrote an appeal to the people of Kupyansk:

During the rally Masliy chanted “Kupyansk is Ukraine!” raised the state flag over Kupyansk City Council. Then people went to the occupiers’ checkpoint, Putin’s soldiers started firing into the air, people continued to chant slogans, Mykola Masliy went ahead. The invaders threw a light-noise grenade and captured the Ukrainian patriot. Nobody saw him anymore.

– After the rally we went to the checkpoint where the Russian military was, they first fired into the air, then used light and noise grenades and at that moment  Mykola disappeared. After that we approached the military and asked where Mykola had gone, to which the answer was: “They are working with him. He is alive, they are working with him.” But now they no longer admit that he is with them, the activists who took part in this rally, his relatives are being searched and with all their appearance they show that they are looking for him, – said one of Mykola Masliy’s friends. We do not mention his name for security reasons.

Police have opened a criminal case under the article Enforced Disappearance which is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to five years. Mykola Maslia’s relatives and friends are worried that they haven’t heard his voice since March 1. It is unknown how many more people are being held captive by the occupiers.

Invaders can fire at cars

It is very difficult to leave Kupyansk – bridges have been blown up in Kupyansk, there is only one bridge left, from there you can go to Donetsk region, then to the Dnipro, locals say. But can not buy gasoline, the Russian military for any reason can stop at the checkpoint, rob and take prisoner, you can come under fire.

– A bunch of checkpoints and inadequate military which can open fire on cars, can take away cars. Anything, – locals told.

On March 24, a Russian tricolor appeared next to the Ukrainian flag raised by Mykola Masliy on March 1. But locals believe that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will liberate their city:

– It’s as if we froze, fell asleep, we understand everything and are ready to wait, just tell me how long?