Today we are sharing one of the former Ukrainian prisoners' story, the man was illegally taken to the territory of russia from correctional institutions of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Also that's the story about how UnMode organizes not only legal, but also social support for such people after they return to their native country.
Anatoly was one of the groups that, after being released from the Russian TDCFC (Temporary Detention Center for Foreign Citizens), thanks to the informational and human rights support of UnMode, were able to come to Georgia. Immediately upon arrival, we quickly found a common language with Anatoly, whom we soon began to address almost like at home: Uncle Tolya.
We provided the whole group with a safe stay for several days in Tbilisi, helped to process the necessary documents and organize their return home. What happened after?
“On February 21, I arrived at the bus station in Kyiv in order to meet the guys, but, to my surprise, I did not find any of them. The bus driver said that all the men were “removed” from the flight near Mogilev-Podolsk (Ukraine) to undergo “filtering”. Their checks did not end there - already before entering Kyiv, the Ukrainian military temporarily detained the men to check the accompanying documents”, -says Yanina
Late in the evening on February 22, Anatoly and Valery got to the hotel in Kiev, which Yanina had booked for them, she also gave the men a certificate for the purchase of groceries in the amount of 500 UAH, and helped one of the group - Valery - leave for his native Lutsk.
Uncle Tolya's main needs turned out to be assistance in restoring documents and payments. In order to quickly resolve all the “paper” issues, the man came to Poltava, where Yanina works.
“Thanks to strong partnerships with a number of service organizations, we were able to organize his free stay at the Center for Social Adaptation for people who were in correctional institutions. We also helped Anatoly restore all the documents, began to process the registration of the status of an IDP (internally displaced person),” says Yanina.
Today, the man began a two-week course at the rehabilitation center for psychological assistance for people affected by the war in Ukraine - BO "Vikhid є".
“Further plans include the renewal of pensions, social benefits for disability, and we also plan to send Anatoly to a friendly family doctor to make a declaration. This is necessary to start the process of confirming a man’s disability,” explains Yanina.
We continue to support Ukrainians in russian prisons and seek resources to help each of them return home. It seems impossible, but we, against all odds, believe in the power of civil society and the power of goodness. Good always and invariably conquers any evil.
If you know Ukrainian citizens who need help in russian prisons or their relatives, please pass on our contacts:
e-mail: unmode.contact@gmail.com
Telegram: +380 633 71 34 37
Signal: +995 591 06 02 55
If you are a lawyer, lawyer, journalist, human rights activist, specialist in the field of HIV, TB, prisoners, refugees, migrants and you have ideas, desire and time to help Ukrainian citizens in Russian prisons - please write to us.