Ukrainians are celebrating in Kherson as the city is liberated from Russian control. But people there say they suffered daily indignities and lived in constant fear. 'There were shouts from the jail of people being tortured at night.'
in the main square, one week after Russian forces retreated. But from behind the carnival atmosphere, a picture is emerging of what citizens endured under Russian rule. They describe instances of detention and abuse amid a climate of terror and suspicion.As Zinevych speaks to NPR in the city's Liberty Square, she wears a shimmering Ukrainian flag wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl. Residents all around her celebrate the Russian withdrawal.
Zinevych says the Kremlin-installed authorities were constantly on the lookout for people they deemed"partisan" — anyone who might pass information to Ukrainian authorities that could undermine the occupation."For [speaking] the Ukrainian language or [showing] Ukrainian symbols, you could be taken to the basement and tortured," she says. By"basement" she means detention centers set up by the Russian forces.
Mariya Kryvoruchko, who lives a half a block from the police station, remembers some terrifying moments.
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