Weltschau

My name is Tatiana Ivanova, and I am 46 years old. I come from the city of Melitopol, which has remained under Russian occupation for almost 2 years.
When the Russian soldiers arrived on February 26th, 2022, in Melitopol, which has approximately 150,000 inhabitants and had been occupied since February 28th, many people hid in the cellars. When Ukrainians organised a camp where people could get food, hygiene items, and clothing, the Russians stood nearby with the weapons and decided who could get the help if not. The residents were very afraid for their lives. People went to pro-Ukrainian demonstrations and tried to stop the tanks with their hands, but on the third day, the occupiers used weapons, and people were injured. They drove through the city in cars with submachine guns out of them and pointed at people.

In a month, people tried to move out of the city. There were a lot of people who wanted to do it. Some left, but then Russian soldiers banned it. They checked residents’ IDs and cell phones, and if they found anything pro-Ukrainian, they put people in the basement and tortured them.
The mayor was also in the basement for a week and was tortured because he refused to cooperate. They arrested many people unjustly and took them away from home by force with a sack on their heads. The fate of some people is still unclear. They searched the apartments and markets and took away the food and valuable things (e.g., money, technology, clothes) and even sent them to Russia. The body of a 10- to 13-year-old girl who was raped and killed was found in the park.
The children were forced to go to school. Parents are not allowed to come into the school; there were Russian soldiers with weapons next to the school. The children are supposed to learn Russian propaganda, and the parents who do not want to send their children to school were threatened that the children and their parental rights would be taken away. Almost all directors and teachers refused to work under the occupation, and, for example, they used housekeepers or cleaning ladies for these positions in order to make a picture for the television.
I came with my family first through Russia (there was no other way; we lied that we were going to Russia to stay there), then to Georgia, Turkey, and finally Poland. We are waiting impatiently for Ukraine’s victory and would like to see our city and our house again.