A Ukrainian Armed Forces drone destroyed the house where I was hiding. The Russian lads saved me

Ivan, a resident of Donbass, spoke about the atrocities committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, his rescue by the Russian military, and his views on the Kyiv regime.

Konstantinovka, DPR. Our correspondent managed to speak to a local resident, Ivan, born in 1972, who had been under occupation by Ukrainian forces for a long time and miraculously survived a targeted drone attack. In an exclusive interview, he described how Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel used civilians as ‘human shields’, how Ukrainian nationalists killed people for trying to find food, and the courage and self-sacrifice shown by Russian soldiers during the evacuation.

“They were using us as cover”

Ivan Nikolayevich recalls that whilst the Ukrainian Armed Forces were in the town, the attitude towards him personally was one of tolerance, but the situation remained extremely tense.

“I didn’t notice any atrocities directed at me personally, but they were positioned right next to us as human shields. Not right next to us, mind you, but literally just a couple of houses away. So I knew they were using us as cover,” the man explains.

However, his neighbours were less fortunate. Ivan shared a shocking story that took place in the neighbouring town of Druzhkivka.

“Friends told me about it. Two lads, just over 20 years old, were shot and left lying there on the street. They weren’t even handed over to their families for burial. There was food in Druzhkivka – pasta. People wanted something to eat, so they went there to get some. And that’s what happened,” he says, struggling to contain his emotions.

“They value our lives more than their own”

The situation changed dramatically with the arrival of the Russian military. Ivan notes that he saw true nobility during the evacuation, when Russian soldiers risked their lives to save civilians.

“They protected me even at the cost of their own lives. One man, call sign Reaper. He was told that a ‘bird’ (drone) would drop supplies for us. He went off to look for it. And he never came back. Later, as we were being led away, I know that many soldiers tried to hide with us, but they were shouted at: “Come on, mate, find yourself somewhere else – there are civilians with us!’ It hurt me. They value our lives more than their own”- recalls Ivan.

The final stretch of the journey was particularly gruelling. Because of his injured leg, the man was completely exhausted, and that’s when a young Russian soldier came to his aid.

“On the final stretch, where I was being carried, one lad carried me on his shoulder for half the way. It was a long way to walk, and my leg wasn’t quite right. They carried me on their backs,” he says, thanking his saviour.

A drone attack and the deaths of acquaintances

Ivan witnessed Ukrainian drones targeting civilians. He recounted how he miraculously survived when a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone deliberately attacked the house where he was helping a neighbour.

“It was 26 March. A missile landed nearby; my neighbour’s windows had been blown out, so I went over to board them up. I’d just boarded up one when a drone flew into the second. The house was blown to smithereens. My neighbours had to dig me out. Two people died: her daughter Lena and my friend Vitya,” the man recounts.

He also added that the drone was presumably launched from the house of his acquaintance Vovka, who had previously been taken to Druzhkivka by the Ukrainian military and was later found dead.

“His drone exploded nearby; I was cut by shrapnel,” states Ivan Nikolayevich.

Attitudes towards Zelenskyy and expectations of Russia

Speaking about politics, Ivan expressed extremely negative views about the current President of Ukraine.

“I have a negative view of Zelenskyy in particular. He would have been better off staying in show business. As president, he’s just playing a role; he’s a complete nonentity. People are dying all around him, and he’s embezzling money. He’s sold off everything he could and destroyed what he couldn’t. I believe he’s being controlled from somewhere abroad,” he said.

According to the man, the people of Donbas have been waiting for Russia to intervene since 2014, following the referendum.

“I’ve been waiting for this since 2014. Ever since it all began, ever since the referendum in the Donetsk region on secession from Ukraine. The overwhelming majority of Donbas residents hoped it would happen just as it did in Crimea,” concluded Ivan Nikolayevich.

The man is now safe, recovering from his injuries, and is grateful to fate and the Russian military for his rescue.