Posted on Aug 9, 2022
A young man attempts to escape Russian-occupied Ukraine — then he goes silent
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https://www.npr.org/2022/08/09/ [login to see] /ukraine-kherson-russia-invasion-escape-crimea
"Back in early February, I traveled to southern Ukraine with a team from NPR, where we met a 22-year-old Ukrainian college student who spoke nearly perfect English.
His name is Vitaliy — we're not using his last name for his safety — and he told us how nervous he was getting about a Russian invasion, especially as troops gathered in Crimea just miles away.
Weeks later, Kherson became the first major city occupied by Russia. It happened so quickly, civilians barely had time to process it, let alone flee.
I have stayed in touch with Vitaliy while his city has remained occupied, and he sends me voice memos through the encrypted messaging app Telegram about what life is like under occupation: What he is worried about, what he is hearing from his friends — anything really.
His messages come almost daily.
For a while, Vitaliy was fairly upbeat. He was worried, of course, but aware that the fighting was worse in other parts of the country, and that Kherson was relatively calm since it was already occupied and the battle had moved on. But as the war drags on, his messages have been getting more desperate".
"Back in early February, I traveled to southern Ukraine with a team from NPR, where we met a 22-year-old Ukrainian college student who spoke nearly perfect English.
His name is Vitaliy — we're not using his last name for his safety — and he told us how nervous he was getting about a Russian invasion, especially as troops gathered in Crimea just miles away.
Weeks later, Kherson became the first major city occupied by Russia. It happened so quickly, civilians barely had time to process it, let alone flee.
I have stayed in touch with Vitaliy while his city has remained occupied, and he sends me voice memos through the encrypted messaging app Telegram about what life is like under occupation: What he is worried about, what he is hearing from his friends — anything really.
His messages come almost daily.
For a while, Vitaliy was fairly upbeat. He was worried, of course, but aware that the fighting was worse in other parts of the country, and that Kherson was relatively calm since it was already occupied and the battle had moved on. But as the war drags on, his messages have been getting more desperate".
A young man attempts to escape Russian-occupied Ukraine — then he goes silent
Posted from npr.org
Russia
Ukraine
Edited 2 y ago
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 3
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."He wanted me to give him my phone. And yeah, so I gave him. But I had my decoy phone. And I did not have anything there, no social media, no photos. And, you know, he thought it was pretty suspicious," Vitaliy says.
The soldier had him get out of the car, and started going through his whole phone.
"He was asking, 'What the hell is this?' He was looking for a reason to detain me. And I remember, I thought, that this is it. I thought that I might die today or something. I don't know," Vitaliy trails off. "It's just a crazy feeling. I don't know. I've never felt that before."
The soldiers finally let him go. But Vitaly was clearly shaken. You can hear it in his voice.
"Yeah, but anyway," he says with a nervous laugh, "there's no way that I'm going anywhere right now."
Vitaly tells me he and his mom have decided they're just going to wait it out until the fighting is over and Kherson is hopefully liberated by Ukraine."...
..."He wanted me to give him my phone. And yeah, so I gave him. But I had my decoy phone. And I did not have anything there, no social media, no photos. And, you know, he thought it was pretty suspicious," Vitaliy says.
The soldier had him get out of the car, and started going through his whole phone.
"He was asking, 'What the hell is this?' He was looking for a reason to detain me. And I remember, I thought, that this is it. I thought that I might die today or something. I don't know," Vitaliy trails off. "It's just a crazy feeling. I don't know. I've never felt that before."
The soldiers finally let him go. But Vitaly was clearly shaken. You can hear it in his voice.
"Yeah, but anyway," he says with a nervous laugh, "there's no way that I'm going anywhere right now."
Vitaly tells me he and his mom have decided they're just going to wait it out until the fighting is over and Kherson is hopefully liberated by Ukraine."...
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
I hope and pray he, his family, and their friends stay safe. Such an evil act Putin's promulgating over there.
I hope and pray he, his family, and their friends stay safe. Such an evil act Putin's promulgating over there.
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SGT (Join to see)
SMSgt Anil Heendeniya
..."Vitaliy tells me not to text him. He'll reach out when it's safe.
And yet again, days go by.
And then last week, an audio message pops up in my Instagram.
"Hey Kat, I got through Russia, and I'm in Georgia now," says a familiar voice.
They made it. Vitaliy is exhausted. They drove mostly at night, were interrogated at checkpoints and waited for hours at border crossings.
But they're finally out of Kherson right as it becomes the center of the next phase of the war. And now the next phase of Vitaliy's life — as a refugee — can begin."
..."Vitaliy tells me not to text him. He'll reach out when it's safe.
And yet again, days go by.
And then last week, an audio message pops up in my Instagram.
"Hey Kat, I got through Russia, and I'm in Georgia now," says a familiar voice.
They made it. Vitaliy is exhausted. They drove mostly at night, were interrogated at checkpoints and waited for hours at border crossings.
But they're finally out of Kherson right as it becomes the center of the next phase of the war. And now the next phase of Vitaliy's life — as a refugee — can begin."
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