Mass kidnappings and lack of food and medicine: the mayor about the situation in occupied Energodar
A little more than half of the pre-war population remained in Energodar, which the occupiers are constantly robbing and torturing.
The eerie countdown of the temporary occupation of Energodar has already crossed the four-month mark: on March 4, the Russian invaders took control of the largest nuclear plant in Europe, which had previously been shelled with artillery, exposing the whole world and the city to a danger unheard of since Chernobyl.
Now it is being robbed by pseudo-leaders appointed by the Russians, among whom, however, there is no consensus.
This, as well as the current situation in Energodar, was told by the current mayor Dmytro Orlov, who currently lives in Zaporizhzhia, but does not leave his home alone with the hardships brought by the rascals. In particular, he takes care of the delivery of humanitarian aid workers to the city.
– Mr. Dmytro, what is the current humanitarian situation in Energodar?
– The fifth month of the occupation of Energodar continues and, unfortunately, the general situation in our country is not improving at all. For example, the occupiers are going to distribute Russian passports and are currently actively introducing the Crimean mobile operator, while jamming the Ukrainian ones. Therefore, without the Internet in the city, for example, it is difficult to make cashless payments.
On the other hand, the city has water and electricity supply, the medical and sanitary department and the ambulance are working. Utility companies are also functioning, despite enormous pressure, especially on their management, from the occupiers. But all utility companies work in the legislative field of Ukraine, and workers receive their wages on time to bank cards. Of course, in hryvnias.
As for the humanitarian component, there is a noticeable lack of food and medicine in Energodar. However, thanks to the support of volunteers and the help of well-wishers from abroad, we manage to deliver, in particular, medicines in small batches several times a week. For example, the other day, a several-ton shipment of critically needed medical drugs left. We also manage to transport 5 tons of other rubber cargo to Energodar every week: hygiene products, baby food, etc.
– Who is currently, so to speak, in power in Energodar among the occupiers?
– If you remember, the first pseudo-head of the Energodar administration was Andriy Shevchyk, a former deputy of the city council from the Opposition Platform — for life. Then, after an attempt on him (on May 22, an explosive device went off in the entrance of a high-rise building where a collaborator lives: Shevchyk and his bodyguards were injured, – Ed.), he was treated outside Energodar, and he returned to the city a month ago.
Nowadays, he does not shine anywhere, because his place was first taken by a certain Ruslan Kirpichev from Makiyivka, and he, as it were, was already moved from the feeder by the so-called commandant of a rather wealthy person before the beginning of the Russian invasion of the Kamian-Dnipro district, known by the call sign Volga. His real name is Oleksandr Molokov. Probably, all these traitors well understand that Energodar is a city with a surplus budget and a rather high average salary, so they cannot share the “goodies” among themselves.
In general, now all the actions of the occupiers are aimed at banal robbery of local residents. They take away cars, take away gadgets. They break into temporarily abandoned apartments, from where they take everything valuable, in particular, household appliances.
– What is currently happening at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and its employees?
– Nuclear power units continue to be serviced by Ukrainian specialists who receive their salaries on time. As for the psychological atmosphere, to say that it is very tense is an understatement. People are kidnapped en masse, even at transit stations.
And recently there was just a blatant case: the occupiers brutally killed one of the workers… It all started when the Russians decided to stage a provocation, accusing the employees of storing weapons. It could be hidden in the concrete bowls of cooling pools. Andriy Goncharuk, a diver at the hydraulic workshop, was forced by the Russians to dive there, but he categorically refused. Because of this, the employee of the station was actually beaten to death. It happened on June 29. Andrii was taken to the hospital, but when the doctors looked at him, they said that they could not do anything, because the injuries were incompatible with life. The diver spent three days in a coma and eventually died. It just doesn’t fit in my head.
Dmytro Orlov and Serhiy Shvets.
And at the end of May, the occupiers shot Serhiy Shvets, an employee of the electrical repair department, at close range with a machine gun on the doorstep of the apartment. He received injuries to his body, limbs and head and seemed to have no chance of survival. However, doctors fought for him for 10 hours, and he survived! Currently, Serhiy, who is already able to walk independently, continues treatment in one of Zaporizhzhia’s medical facilities.
– Do you have information – how many residents of Energodar are currently held hostage by the occupiers?
– Of course, it is quite difficult to keep direct records, because people, in particular relatives of the abducted, are intimidated, promising that, they say, “it will be even worse.” So, we can now only have approximate data: if at the beginning of the arrangement in the place of torture of the occupiers, the number of abducted was in the tens, now it is definitely in the hundreds.
That is, at the same time several hundred civilians are “in the basements”. Some are released in a few days, others stay there for months and there is no news about their health or whereabouts. The usual average “fee” to free a randomly taken hostage is UAH 50,000. However, of course, not every family will have a similar amount.
But some are not released for any money (the deputy of Dmitry Orlov, Ivan Samoydyuk, was kidnapped by the occupiers at the end of March, and nothing is known about his fate to this day). In general, according to our calculations, a little more than half of the citizens remain in Energodar – about 30,000. Many of them have the desire and opportunity to leave, but the energy workers are forced to stay, especially the workers, because they have to ensure the operation of the nuclear plant.