About heroism, torture and victory in the war: a meeting was held in the USA with a participant in the defense of Mariupol

On June 29, at Stanford University (California), a meeting was held with one of the participants in the defense of Mariupol and Azovstal, Azov fighter Arseniy Fedosyuk, his wife Yulia, as well as the wife of Azov commander Denis Prokopenko, Ekaterina Prokopenko. Now women head the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders.

Photo: Ksenia Kirillova

The war for Arseniy began back in 2014, when he took part in bloody battles for Ilovaisk. After a full-scale invasion, the fighter took part in the defense of Mariupol and, together with his colleagues on May 18 last year, was forced to surrender. He was exchanged on the eve of the new year, 2023. After his release, Arseniy went to Israel, where he underwent a surgical operation and underwent a rehabilitation course. In the US, the Azov fighter met with members of Congress, representatives of human rights organizations, the media and the Ukrainian diaspora. About how the defense of Mariupol went, what its defenders had to endure in captivity and how he imagines victory, Arseniy Fedosyuk spoke at a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Stanford.

Defense of Mariupol

According to him, Mariupol was initially doomed, despite the great heroism of its defenders.

«Our troops were ready for the Russian offensive from the east, but were not preparing for an attack from the south and north of the country. In fact, the entire territory south of Mariupol (Kherson, Berdyansk, Melitopol, and so on) was captured by the invaders without a fight. This was largely due to the betrayal of individual officials and the dominance of Russian agents in government. Mariupol was the first city in this direction, which resisted the enemy", - said the fighter.

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Arseniy recalls: at the very beginning of the full-scale war, the Azov people had the opportunity to leave the city, but they categorically refused it. Over time, it became clear that the Ukrainian army was unable to provide assistance to the defenders of Mariupol. This was partly due to the objective limitations of resources, partly due to the cowardice and betrayal of some military leaders.

«The general, whose duties included the defense of Mariupol, fled the city two days before the start of a full-scale invasion”, the Azov veteran admits.

Photo: Ksenia Kirillova

According to Arseniy, as early as the end of March 2022, it became clear that the enemy had an absolute advantage in terms of forces and means, as well as the ability to evacuate people and replenish supplies, while Azov did not even have shells capable of hitting the enemy at small distance. Because of this, the fighters could not use artillery and were limited only to mortars.

Arseniy recalls: at first, Azovstal had enough supplies of provisions and water. Food began to run out when the enemy bombed the food warehouses. Products had to be dug out under the rubble in between shelling. As a result, an official decision was made by the Ukrainian authorities - the Azov people were to stop the defense and surrender in an organized manner.

Captivity and release

According to Arseny, the conditions in Russian captivity were literally torture. We are talking not only about strict standards for keeping prisoners, but also about real torture. During interrogations, the fighters were beaten with hands, feet, iron and plastic pipes, electric shockers were used, and they were required to sign documents confessing to non-existent crimes. According to Arseniy, by that time many of his colleagues were in such a state that they could not even read them.

After the colony in Yelenovka, the prisoners were sent to the Taganrog pre-trial detention center, where, as the Azov people say, it was the most difficult. The torture continued with renewed vigor.

«They treated medics, snipers and scouts with particular predilection. Conditions of detention became even worse. In my 3 by 4 meter cell there were from two to five people. During the day you could neither sit down nor lie down on the bed - you could only sit on a bench without a backrest. You couldn’t even lean on a table or wall, you were forbidden to look out the window or walk straight: you had to bend over as much as possible with your arms up. They gave just enough food so as not to starve", - recalls Arseny.

According to the Azov citizen, criminal cases were fabricated for some of his colleagues. Usually this was done by a judge located in Rostov-on-Don. Arseniy, among other things, notes the widespread practice of capturing civilians for exchange. The exchange of himself was a surprise for the fighter. The Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders notes that there are no clear criteria by which the Russians agree to let people go.

«As a rule, they prefer to exchange the wounded first, as they do not want to provide them with medical care. Women are somewhat more willing to let go, but there is no pattern in this", - explains Katerina Prokopenko.

Arseniy Fedosyuk emphasizes that at the moment about seven hundred Azov people are in Russian captivity. Some members of the US Congress have volunteered to support them on a personal level, but the issue of the exchange has not yet been resolved.

Image of victory

According to Arseniy Fedosyuk, not only the return of the 1991 borders to Ukraine, but also the disintegration of the Russian empire can be considered a complete victory. At the same time, he is convinced that propaganda about the Nazi ideology of Azov is nothing more than a myth.

«We are all from different parts of Ukraine - from Lvov to Donetsk, including Crimeans. At the same time, many Azov residents have Russian as their native language, like myself. Russia claimed to be protecting Russian speakers living in eastern Ukraine, but in reality it was exterminating them, while we actually protected Russian speakers by fighting for them in Mariupol", - said the veteran of "Azov".

Photo: Ksenia Kirillova

Arseniy admits that the integration of Crimea and part of the Donbass occupied nine years ago into Ukraine can become a rather complicated process. However, he believes that after turning off Russian propaganda, it will not be so difficult to change people's minds.

«It is important that we provide them with a decent standard of living and jobs. Of course, those who committed war crimes should be put on trial, but it is unlikely that many of them will remain in the occupied territory after the victory of Ukraine. In addition, not all combatants will live to see the end of the war. I myself witnessed how the Russian authorities first of all mobilized the inhabitants of the occupied regions for the capture of Mariupol. Their losses were huge.", - said Arseny.

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His wife Yulia added: many refugees who left the Donbass will want to return and will also be able to positively influence the people who remained there.

«After the end of the war, the time will come for dialogue with all those who did not commit war crimes, whether we like their position or not", she concluded.

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