Russia detains 300 Ukrainian residents for a month... 10 die

NYT Report "Virtually Forced Detention Camps"
Deaths from Respiratory Distress
Also Experiencing Hallucinations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] Reports have emerged that Russian troops confined 300 residents of a Ukrainian village in a basement for nearly a month, using them as 'human shields.'

On the 10th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that although the villagers were freed when Russian forces retreated from Chernihiv Oblast in northeastern Kyiv at the end of March, they have yet to recover from the psychological trauma.

After the outbreak of war on February 24, Russian troops entered the village of Yahidne in Chernihiv Oblast, north of Kyiv, around early March. It was revealed that they forced more than 300 residents, including 77 children, into the school basement.

The basement where they were confined was found to be far too small to accommodate over 300 people.

Oleh Turash (54), one of the affected residents, told an NYT reporter, "This was our forced detention camp," describing the space as almost lightless and so crowded that even in subzero winter temperatures, they kept warm only by sharing body heat.

Furthermore, since fresh air did not circulate properly, elderly and vulnerable people reportedly died one after another from respiratory difficulties.

According to the NYT, some people suffered from hallucinations. Ivan Petrovich, the school caretaker, recalled, "Some people muttered incomprehensible things, like saying 'we need to plant potatoes.'"

The residents said that the Russian troops did not allow them to use the outdoor toilets, so they had to relieve themselves in buckets filled with waste inside the basement.

Although Ukrainian forces recaptured Yahidne village around March 31, 10 of the residents who had been trapped in the basement had already died.

A sign on the door of the largest room stated that 136 people, including 9 children, were confined in that space alone. Originally, 139 people were confined in this room, but residents said that unfortunately, 3 did not survive the prolonged detention.

The Ukrainian prosecution believes that the Russian troops confined the residents in the basement to use their lives as leverage to prevent attacks when the Ukrainian military counterattacked.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.