They burned Russian flags, distributed leaflets against the occupiers, passed on information about the location of enemy troops: shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, young people from Zaporozhye organized themselves into a resistance group. Their leader was Igor, who was only 16 at the time.
Igor and his "Pugachi"
"I was in 9th grade when the war started. In the first few weeks, my parents were very enthusiastic, they strongly supported Ukraine. But then something changed in them - they started watching and listening to Russian news. We were constantly fighting, because I understood what was happening. I realized that the Russians were here, I could see them, I could see the enemy - and I had to act", the young man says.
Igor organized a group of young people in his hometown - eight boys between the ages of 14 and 18. They call themselves "Pugachy", which translates as "Owls", which are the symbol of Ukrainian military intelligence. In the spring of 2022, they took down Russian flags from police stations and other public buildings, burned them and uploaded videos of their actions to the Internet.
"One video went viral, it was even shown on television. We also made leaflets, designing and writing them ourselves. The message was: "You are not welcome here, go home!". "We also passed on the location of the Russian units," Igor told DW.
A few weeks later, however, he was handed over by local collaborators to the Russians, who imprisoned Igor and the other boys from his group in the local police station of the occupation forces. After two months of interrogation, Igor was accused of terrorism.
"During the interrogations, they beat me periodically. I was handcuffed, with a bag on my head, I didn't understand what was happening. They tortured me with electricity. They only stopped when I lost consciousness."
Today, Igor is 19 years old. He lives in Kiev, where he is studying construction. He is firmly determined to build a future here.
From friends who managed to escape from the occupied territories of Ukraine, Igor learned about the ways of escape. He had to wait until he came of age and received a Russian passport. Then he went to Russia, supposedly to study, but at the first opportunity he sneaked back across the border and reached free Ukrainian territory.
"I saw the sign with the inscription "Ukraine", the first flag, the first of our soldiers, and I immediately felt relieved. Finally home," Igor recalls.
"I want to get rid of this fear"
Today, the 19-year-old is studying construction, has found a place to live and a job in the capital, Kiev.
"I want to forget what it means to be afraid to walk down the street, to be afraid to speak Ukrainian, to be afraid of the police. I want to get rid of this fear that I have lived with for three and a half years, day after day. That was the best moment for me. I still can't get used to it."
Igor sees his future in Kiev. He dreams of having his own family. And he doesn't regret for a moment being part of the resistance against the Russian occupation. "This is literally a battle for our existence and our freedom," he says.
Author: Victoria Zhidik