Translated material
Escape day
The narrow circle of Ukrainian human rights activists about the salvation of the Crimean Yuri Ilchenko became known immediately after he appeared two months ago in the Lviv office of the Crimea SOS public organization. But the elderly parents of Yuri remained in Sevastopol, so all this time Ilchenko was listed in the lists of political prisoners, the release of which the Ukrainian side requires from Russia. As soon as the parents managed to transfer to Lviv, Yuri decided at a press conference in Kyiv. In two days, Ilchenko, who escaped from house arrest in Sevastopol, gave more than a dozen interviews.
11 months torture in jail, house arrest cut by a kitchen knife an electronic bracelet, an escape through a mined forest belt ... a plot worthy of an adventure novel. But many Ukrainians, disappointed with the activities of Nadezhda Savchenko, after her release from the Russian prison, were distrustful of the history of Yuri.
We asked Yuri Ilchenko about the details of his fantastic escape and tried to find out what beliefs a person adheres to with such an incredible story.
- When Nadezhda Savchenko was in prison, I, together with everyone, was worried about her fate. The first time of its conclusion I was still free. And when she went out, what she began to speak made a depressing impression on me. I don’t even know how to explain her behavior. It seems to me that this is still the result of some impact on it. The only question is, she does it consciously or, perhaps, under the influence of some hypnosis or something that she does not realize. I do not exclude that she was inspired by some thoughts and she expresses them, not even realizing that she was doing this by order.
- Have you noticed that many Ukrainians, especially in social networks, reacted with distrust to your story?
- I see that Russia is waging an information war against me. But I did not expect anything else from her, because my position, unlike Savchenko’s position, does not change. She was and remains anti -Russian. Not in relation to the Russians, but in relation to the Russian authorities, Russian occupation, that Russia continues the most negative Soviet traditions. Back in the 90s, I said that Russia would attack Ukraine. Then they treated this with a smile, they said that it could not be that it was nonsense. But, unfortunately, it happened. I did not hide my anti -Russian position in jail, although I understood that I was doing it worse for myself. This position has not changed: I thought so ten years ago, two years ago, I think so now.
I do not support Savchenko’s position at all. I believe that Ukraine should act more rigidly. A weak army? No weapons? For two and a half years, it was possible to transfer the economy to military rails, fill the army with weapons, train soldiers and officers. With all my negative attitude towards the Soviet Union, I recall: two and a half years after June 22, 1941, after the start of the conflict between the two aggressors (and for me the USSR is the same aggressor as fascist Germany, they began the war together) the Soviet Union rebuilt all production for war. Of course, since 2014, there were some progress for the better in the Ukrainian army, but, it seems to me, insufficient. The war must be called war, I am against the designation "ATO". The enemy must be called the enemy. In this case, our enemy is the Russian Federation. I am against diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. It seems to me unacceptable that trade with Russia is underway when our guys are dying in the Donbass.
- But you know how many Ukrainians are contained in Russian prisons. Without diplomatic support, neither the coverage of processes or assistance to political prisoners will be simply impossible.
- Maybe so. But at stake is the preservation of Ukraine as a state. We can entrust the representative office of Ukraine to another country, as is usually done during the war. Lithuania could well have represented our interests in Russia. Poland has always been our friend. By the way, what is happening in Poland is very depressing me. It seems to me that again Russia drives a wedge into Ukrainian-Polish relations.
- Do you mean the recognition of the Volyn massacre by the Genocide of the Poles?
- I mean the fact that right now they raised this topic. Agree, now it’s not the best time to focus on the historical events that share us. This is our common problem - the Ukrainian and Polish peoples - that during the Second World War we could not find a common language. Then, as now, we had to fight against our common eternal enemy.
- As far as I know, you are a Roman Catholic?
- Yes, it's true. The Roman Catholic religion is closest to me. I am generally a man of pro -European views.
- You did not have a desire after everything experienced to move to some Western country, away from the war?
- I can arise such a desire only on one condition: if there is Russian power in Ukraine. If Russia manages to put power in Kyiv, which will pursue all pro -Ukrainian forces. Then emigration will become a forced step. I hope that Ukraine - at least the western - will never come to terms with the Russian authorities. In the current situation, leaving Ukraine is a double betrayal. Our country is in such a difficult situation that throwing it now is even worse than taking such a step in peacetime. I had the opportunity to go abroad before, there was a five -year American visa. I was in many European countries, in total in 18 countries. However, I never thought about leaving my homeland, I love her and want to devote my life to her.
- The topic of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia is now in fashion for Ukrainian politicians, especially after the first exemptions managed to achieve. Maybe you have already received any proposals from political parties?
- There were no specific proposals from the leaders of political forces yet. Although I do not exclude such an opportunity. But in any situation, I can only cooperate insofar as my beliefs are not violated. I will not go against my beliefs for some places or positions. I believe that we all should now unite and adhere to the principle of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Because of their tolerance, our people do not want to call the Russian Federation an enemy. But we did not come to their land, but they are ours. We lived calmly. Yes, not everything satisfied, for example, I did not agree with the authorities of Yanukovych, but this is our internal problem. And the rest, Ukraine gave me everything - I received a free higher education, I had my own prosperous business, which developed gradually, but before the occupation I reached a normal income level of 2-3 thousand dollars a month. I could afford to go to the States and in Europe. No matter what the situation develops is unacceptable for one country to intervene in the internal affairs of the other.
- You said at a press conference that your training center has become almost the center of pro-Ukrainian forces in Sevastopol after the occupation of Crimea. How does the fate of those people who came to this center develop? Do you keep in touch with them? Have they expressed your support?
- Unfortunately, many of these people were intimidated by Russian power, even when I was in the wild. For example, there was such a case. When the famous performer Kuzma died, I was just with my parents in Dnepropetrovsk, so I could not participate in any promotions in Sevastopol. And my like -minded people went to the Shevchenko monument in Sevastopol with candles, with mobile phones on which Kuzma songs were. They attacked Russian special forces in masks, arranged "masks-shows." Activists got into the station - however, they stayed there for only a few hours, but this was enough for them to not participate in the shares after that. When I informed them of subsequent actions, they refused.
I really asked people to come to the celebration of the Constitution Day on June 28, 2015, because I had some kind of bad foreboding. They told me: we will come on August 24 (Independence Day of Ukraine. - Ed.), And I answered: on August 24 I may not be. On June 28, unfortunately, many did not come. And it was three days before my arrest.
- Returning to the topic of your arrest - it is surprising for many how you still managed to fall under house arrest after torture and 11 months in the pre -trial detention center. A very rare story for political prisoners in Russia. How did it happen? Perhaps someone supported you?
- Honestly, for me this remains to some extent a mystery. Whether this decision was a judge ... I will not give his last name, especially since I do not remember her. But the Russian authorities still know who condemned me and who let go under house arrest. It was such an elderly judge, and maybe he had some remnants of conscience. Maybe because of his age, it was not so important for him to hold on to the position ... Because the young judge-Carrier will never go against the authorities.
- You have more than once in detail talked about your escape in the Crimea. But how did you move around the territory of Ukraine? How did you get to Lviv?
- The fact is that I could not get to Lviv immediately. I bought a ticket to the city that I had enough money. It was Nikolaev. And in Nikolaev at the railway station, I turned to the reference bureau, asked where I, as a migrant, could get help. I was sent to the duty station at the station. I asked for help to get to Lviv, but I was refused such help. I remembered that I used to have a Privatbank card. I didn’t have it with myself, but I managed to restore it according to my passport. She had several hundred hryvnias. But by that time the train had already left. I spent the night in the hostel, and the next day I went to Lviv.
- Why exactly Lviv?
- Lviv is the capital of Western Ukraine. Why Western Ukraine? She is close to me in spirit, here is the main Ukrainian -speaking population. After I was literally forced to speak Russian for 11 months, they beat me for Ukrainian, for the Crimean Tatar (I wanted to learn it while there was time), the Russian causes me even more rejection. I wanted to be in a patriotic environment where they share my beliefs.
In Lviv, I again at the station asked where I can turn as a migrant. I was sent to the address of the street of Sheptitsky, 10, to the department of social protection. I was registered, issued a certificate and gave the address of the Public Organization "Crimea SOS". She did not work that day, everyone was on business trips. A migrant from Donetsk was also waiting under the door. By the way, she helped me from her own money, gave me a small amount so that I could at least eat. And the next day I met with the employees of the Crimea SOS, and they began to help me and solve my issues.
By the way, ordinary people helped me first. A small amount was given to me by an employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations - not from the state, but simply from himself. A relative of the same migrant from Donetsk passed food. People understood that it was very difficult to start from scratch.
- Alim Aliyev (co -founder of Crimea SOS. - Ed.) At a press conference, he said that he found you in the office in scratches and abrasions ...
- Yes, the traces of my escape took off only somewhere in a month. And in the early days they were very visible. I made my way through the forest ... I already saw that the word "forest" was called into question on the Internet that there is no forest near the Crimean border. I want to say that this is not a forest for tens of kilometers. This is a forest belt wide 150-200 meters, but very, very thick. There were literally intertwined thorns, through which it was necessary to wade. There was also a barbed wire, some other obstacles. I walked at night, so I saw almost nothing, I felt more to the touch. Naturally, I did not have time to unhook each thorn, and when I widened through the barbed wire, I no longer paid attention to wounds torn clothes.
- The Russian government also accuses you of the molestation of minors. Immediately after your press conference, a compromising video appeared on the Internet supposedly with your participation.
- For the XXI century, this is a very unsuccessful fake. In the presence of equipment available to the special services, they could create something more professional. Everyone understands why this fake appeared. There was nothing like that for those two months that I did not speak. As soon as I began to speak, they wanted to denigrate me. Even when I was in prison, I was threatened that if I did not go to cooperation, if I did not sign a recognition of what I did not do (for example, that I wanted to blow up the monuments to Lenin, that I was a coordinator of the “Right Sector” in Sevastopol or in the Crimea), they will come up with an article that is not respected in a crime society.
As far as I understand, they tried to persuade my loved ones to write false denunciations on me. There was even an attempt to say that a person wrote such a denunciation, but in fact there was no denunciation. For four years before all these events, I met with a woman; She has a daughter. I was told that she wrote a statement to me that I was molesting her daughter. On the one hand, I was horrified how she could do this. On the other hand, I understood that they had very sophisticated pressure methods. I was very reassured when in the end it turned out that it was an absolute lie. When I got acquainted with the case file, I read the characteristic that she gave me. There was nothing like that there. There was no statement. Moreover, it was openly written that she does not consider me a criminal for any accusations, including political ones. And the girl wrote that I did not do anything bad, did not say, but rather treated her like a father. She also pointed out that she had pressure so that she would say me.
- How are you going to equip it with mainland Ukraine? What will you do in the near future?
- If the military situation will deteriorate, I am not going to find reasons, hide behind my mother’s disability in order to evade service. I already registered in the Lviv military registration and enlistment office, received a mobilization order, and it was told that if there is a seventh wave of mobilization or universal mobilization, I must come to the military registration and enlistment office within 24 hours.
Maybe many immigrants will condemn me for this, but it seems to me that very often immigrants themselves contribute to the fact that a negative opinion among the local population is developing about them. There are, of course, different, but many are not specifically registered in the military commissariats. This is wrong. When the residents of Lviv and the Lviv region are brought to bury the people who died in the war, the Lviv people are rightly outraged: why should residents of Western Ukraine fight and die for the Donbass, and many residents of Donbass itself are sitting here at that time? Everything should be in equal conditions.
In addition, many immigrants do not try to adapt, accept the local way of life, at least go to the Ukrainian language. I'm not talking about completely forgetting the Russian - no one forbids to speak Russian in families. But when they turn to a migrant in Ukrainian, it would be normal if he, having lived here for a year or two, answered in Ukrainian. Absolutely immigrants should not be indignant about this. You came here, the Lviv people cordially accepted you ... And in general, this is the duty of every Ukrainian - to learn the Ukrainian language. Just as in the Crimea it would be correct to study the Crimean Tatar language.
- And what are you going to do before mobilization?
- In order to earn some money, I try to resume my professional activity - teaching. If over time in Ukraine everything will be relatively peaceful, I will open the training center or courses in Lviv.
There is also a political direction. Now I see my task in telling the world what is happening in Crimea, that every week more and more new people are planted for political reasons, people are subjected to inhuman circulation, torture. Someone is killed, people are disappearing ... Meanwhile, except for the last surge associated with the so-called Crimean saboteurs, the overall interest in the Crimea somehow fell silent. The war in the Donbass is in a more stringent form. And if we talk about the Minsk agreements, then my opinion is that it was wrong to sign them, since not a word said about the Crimean peninsula. Sanctions cannot be removed from Russia only for improving the situation in the Donbass. Sanctions and in general the pressure of the West can be discontinued only with the complete liberation of the territories of Ukraine.
Fragments of the press conference of Yuri Ilchenko on August 17 (Russian subtitles are available):