Ukrainians who helped elderly neighbours in Russian occupation are being convicted of collaboration.

In Occupation, They Cared for the Vulnerable. Now They’re in Jail for It

Ukrainians who ensured elderly neighbours survived when Russia took their town are being convicted of collaboration.

SCHEERPOST, By Oleksiy Arunyan / openDemocracy October 6, 2023 #Ukraine

When the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman was occupied for five months last year, Valentyna Tkach and Tetiana Potapenko stayed behind. They volunteered to help their vulnerable neighbours. They cared for elderly residents, contacted the Russian occupation administration to ask for food and coal for them, and even buried dead bodies.

Now, both women are in detention, having been accused by Ukraine’s Secret Service of collaboration with Russia – a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Tkach and Potapenko were volunteers long before the occupation. Since Soviet times, Lyman’s population has self-organised to better coordinate with local authorities. Residents of each of the city’s ‘microdistricts’ nominate individuals, who are usually women and are known as street attendants (vulychni), to maintain order and liaise with the mayor’s office on their behalf.

This work is coordinated by a head of the neighbourhood, who is elected by residents. When Russia captured Lyman, the local leaders in Tkach and Potapenko’s microdistricts fled, and the women stepped up to take on their roles.

Today, they believe they are being punished for helping others. As part of a series of stories on collaboration trials in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian news outlet Graty met both women in April, while they were in pre-trial detention. Below, [on original] openDemocracy publishes an abridged translation of Graty’s feature…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. more https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/06/in-occupation-they-cared-for-the-vulnerable-now-theyre-in-jail-for-it/

October 7, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Ukraine