04.07.2014 Postcardsfrommaidan.org
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine
Source: http://postcardsfrommaidan.org/post/81982061863/22

Postcards from Maidan is an art initiative that helps facilitate the psychological rehabilitation and physical recovery of patients. Artists visit the wounded and use drawings as a storytelling mechanism of Maidan. The wounded are later presented with the drawings. This is the story of one of Maidan’s Second Sotnya member. 

Story #22

Yura, from the city of Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk oblast, taken prisoner in Crimea

“I was on the way to my buddy Andryukha’s [colloquial for Andriy] in Crimea. They kidnapped me on March 11 because they thought I was from the group “Right Sector.”

I got off the train at night, I had a military backpack with me – I bought it during the [military] service. It has been a year since I left the service; I was a contractor before. They hit me on the head really hard with a [weapon] butt – I hardly remember anything. I didn’t want them to go through my things.

They came wearing masks, with machine guns in their arms, wearing “Russian-hero” uniforms. They brought me somewhere, they overpowered me, I began to struggle, trying to get out. They put a handgun to my temple. I heard a voice, “Shoot at his legs.” I didn’t even feel the pain. They marveled, “Nine people can’t wrestle you down. You are definitely from somewhere, ate some drugs.”

He got out a knife and cut my ear off. I’ve never felt so scared for my life. They started praying about the transition to another world. They started beating me, I think they wanted to beat me to death. The handcuffs pressed into my hands almost to the bones. They put me into a chair, bound my legs, and put scotch tape over my mouth.

The military doctor was there, of course. He [was there to] make sure that [people] wouldn’t die earlier than needed.

One time, a new guard started his shift. I asked him to re-tie my hands, because it got too tight. He was a newbie, rather humane. I somehow managed to escape, and started running, but they caught me. As they grabbed me, I closed my eyes and waited. “Let’s shoot him in the knee,” I heard. The other one says, “No, let’s not,” and the first one continues, “C’mon, they are all scum, we will shoot them all. Alright, let’s get his hands out.” And they tied me up to a radiator.

My hands started to go numb and turn brown. Someone said that if they didn’t loosen them a bit, they would have to cut my hands off. They loosened my hands.

They took us to a room, blindfolded. There was a guy from the Second Sotnya [Maidan Self-Defense Batallion] there, and they abused him. They forced him to learn the Russian anthem, if he made mistakes, they would shoot. They couldn’t sleep – they were on guard. And so they woke him up, “We will take you to Berkut [riot police], and they will tear you to pieces.” The guy morally withstood all of this.

It is strange that they would let us go. Blindfolded, we were taken to a bus. I was ready for them to shoot us. They often said: “We would send you to feed the crabs.” We saw a corpse with bandaged eyes sealed with scotch tape.

I don’t know who they were – the Crimeans, the Russians. Probably both.

I have this feeling as if they have burned out everything inside. When I am alone – everything pops up again, it crushes me, I don’t now.

When they let us go, we saw each other’s faces, who we were with there… It’s as if we have known each other for a long time. We were riding in a bus and sang songs about Maidan. Sang the Ukrainian anthem. Everybody cried.”

Designer and artist Masha Reva talked to Yura at Oleksandrivska [October] hospital. As a gift, Masha created the portraits of the activist on the spot.

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Postcards from Maidan is an art initiative that helps bring support through truthful images of Ukrainian protests in different regions of the country, and also tells the stories of people who suffered during events on Maidan this winter in Kyiv.

The project consists of two elements:

#postcards from maidan
The Postcards Project contains a series of cards based on works of contemporary artists. Artists who participated in protests on Maidan create works reflecting on the events and as a message to fellow citizens. These cards may serve as support and a means to bring the spirit of protest to one’s relatives and friends in any part of Ukraine or the world. They are distributed on Maidan and available to everyone for free download in a format suitable for printing.

#stories from maidan
In The Stories Project, contemporary artists visit hospitals, talk to people [protesters/activists] and work on an artistic embodiment of their stories from Maidan. Activists receive these works as gifts by which to remember the events. This project is documented; the stories may later be used by various media. Through social networks, with the help of journalists, volunteers and the project’s website, organizers of this project help to recover lost contacts and enable protesters to learn about each other.

Postcards from Maidan was founded by Kadygrob_Taylor Platform for Contemporary Art, an independent non-profit. Source: http://postcardsfrommaidan.org/about