prisoner of the Russians near Kharkiv, this couple says they only saved their lives by treating wounded soldiers

In northeastern Ukraine, Russia is gaining ground after committing tens of thousands of soldiers in a new offensive on the border. Some evacuated residents claim to have been taken prisoner by Russian soldiers in recent days.

Their names are Volodymur and Svitlana. Both testify in front of the cameras of the local media Suspilne, from the vehicle that evacuates them. For three days, from Saturday May 11 until Monday May 13, this elderly couple claims to have lived in a basement, held by the Russians.

Their lives were saved, they say, only because Svitlana helped the enemy soldiers by treating their wounds. “They didn’t let us out of the basement. And this morning a soldier came in and said, ‘We’re leaving.’ They took the wounded, and we ran away quickly.”says Volodymur.

With his black cap screwed on his head, the old man said he thought he was living his last hours: “We heard them saying they wanted to shoot people, but we don’t know if they were talking about us, or someone else.” “It was terrifying“, adds his wife.

An open investigation into the captivity of certain residents

The couple was able to reach Kharkiv where Oleksandr Volkov, a doctor with the International Rescue Committee, works. The evacuation center received no less than 800 people on Monday. “There are really a lot of people. Today, people come from morning to evening, and they also come at night. There is really a lot of work, we do everything we can. The main thing that people tell us is that where they lived, that is to say where they were evacuated from, there are daily bombings, artillery fire, street fighting… And that the Russians have already occupied the places where they live“, specifies the doctor.

The Kharkiv prosecutor says he has opened an investigation into the captivity of certain residents of Vovchansk by the Russians. There were still around 500 of them on Tuesday morning still holed up in the city, while the enemy continues to gain ground, almost two years after being driven from the area. More than 30,000 Russian soldiers are believed to be involved in this new offensive led by Moscow in northeastern Ukraine, according to the Secretary General of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko. Located around thirty kilometers away, Kharkiv, the country’s second city, is not currently threatened, according to him.