• The Reckoning Project has collected evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, including the targeting of local officials for interrogation and torture.
• Viktor Marunyak, mayor of Stara Zburjivka, was arrested and tortured by Russian soldiers, who seemed to have no clear understanding of why they were occupying Ukraine.
• Other mayors, deputy mayors, and local leaders from the Kherson region were also arrested or kidnapped, and some have disappeared.
• Russian forces have replaced elected officials with random, unqualified people, and have displayed Soviet symbols in an attempt to gain sympathy.
• Volunteers who run charities and civic organizations have also been targeted, as the Russians seem unable to believe that people are spontaneously helping each other.
• Two volunteers, who requested anonymity, were interrogated and beaten, and asked repeatedly about a nonexistent conspiracy.
• The Russian occupiers of Ukraine have been haphazardly attempting to Russify the educational system, with little success.
• They have removed Ukrainian-language books from some schools, imposed a Russian-language curriculum, and forced some teachers to return to work.
• The occupiers have also resorted to violence, including beatings, electric shocks, and arbitrary arrests.
• This violence is rooted in the occupiers’ frustration with their own incapacity to control the Ukrainians, and their incomprehension of Ukrainian culture.
• The occupiers’ actions are reminiscent of the Potemkin village legend, and are part of a larger tradition of Russian imperialism and Soviet genocide.
• Despite the occupiers’ attempts to destroy Ukrainian society, the Ukrainians remain resilient and determined to resist.
Published February 14, 2023
Visit The Atlantic to read Nataliya Gumenyuk’s original post ‘They Didn’t Understand Anything, but Just Spoiled People’s Lives’
