Yahidne. A Village in Captivity

Occupation of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region in March 2022 is an example of the Russian army’s strategy of warfare. More than three hundred residents were used as a human shield: they were herded into the basement of the local school and held in inhumane conditions for almost a month. Ten people died inside the cramped помещение. In this audio guide, you will hear the voices of those who survived the occupation and learn what was happening in the village and in the school basement. However, you will not reach the scene of the crime immediately. First, for approximately nine minutes, we invite you to walk through the village or take a look at the school. You will learn the history of Yahidne itself and hear what was happening in the village during the first days of the full-scale invasion. After that, we suggest going down the stairs to the basement. The tour there will last about fifteen minutes. You will hear about the conditions people endured and how the residents of Yahidne helped one another. The audio guide was produced by the team of the Public Interest Journalism Lab. The script was written by Svitlana Oslavska, the sound design was created by Liubov Huk, and the editor was Nataliya Gumenyuk. The Ukrainian version is voiced by Nataliya Gumenyuk, and the English version is voiced by Timothy Snyder. The residents of Yahidne whose voices are heard in the podcast are Valerii Polhui, Valentyna Danilova, Yevheniia Fesiun, Olha Meniailo, Tamara Klymchuk, and Ihor Mamonov. The English readings of the residents’ voices are performed by Peter Pomerantsev, Chrystia Freeland, Marci Shore, Anne Applebaum, Sabra Ayres, and Jonathan Littell. https://www.journlab.online/en/yahidne This project was prepared with the support of the “Partnership for a Strong Ukraine” Programme. The contents are the sole responsibility of the NGO “Public Interest Journalism Lab” and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Programme and/or its financial partners.