I think our facility has done its job. Although we did not have a chance to face the Russians, for many hours we stopped their ships moving towards Odessa," stressed Władysław Zadorin, a soldier of Ukrainian naval infantry who took part in the defence of Snake Island, and then spent 2 years in Russian captivity.
Did you anticipate them to enter Ukraine?
Actually, no. In the fall of 2021, the Russians gathered powerful forces on the border with Ukraine, but then respective times came the news that they were withdrawing them. But it turned out to be a smokescreen.
The invasion found you on Snake Island...
Yes, I was sent there on 3 January 2022. At the time, I served in the Marine Corps as an older sailor. I was in charge of the anti-aircraft guns.
Tell me a small bit about the facility there.
Snake Island is simply a tiny rocky patch of land located close the coast of Romania. According to the applications, the mythical Achilles was buried there. Then the stones from his tomb were to be utilized to build a lighthouse. For Ukraine, the island is of strategical importance due to the fact that it allows to control the movement of ships and ships heading even towards Odessa. We even had a dispute over it with the Romanians. erstwhile I arrived there, the local garrison counted 80 soldiers and border guards. There were besides civilians on the island – about 10 people liable for operating the facilities and lighthouse.
How did you find out about the outbreak of the war?
A combat alert was announced on the island at 4 a.m. on 24 February. At first, we assumed it was an introduction to practice. However, we shortly received further information – Russian troops crossed the border, we have a full-scale war. A minute later on the telegram began to appear First photos of bombed cities. It was hard to scope us due to the fact that it was inactive so peaceful around us. Until, of course...
When did the Russian ships arrive?
First around 9:00 in the morning. It was any kind of recon unit that opened fire on us. But the missiles didn't scope their destination. 2 hours later, on the horizon, we saw the “Moscow” rocket cruiser and corvette “Wasili Bykov”. Ships are approaching the island. individual from the Moscow crew started hailing our facility over the radio...
And then came the words which rapidly grew to the rank of 1 of the symbols of Ukrainian resistance: “Russian war coral idi on...”.
Yeah. Later, erstwhile we were in captivity, the Russians wanted to find out which 1 of ours said it. However, we kept our mouths shut so that the author would not be in trouble. I'll admit, I don't want to talk about it now either...
What happened next?
Our commander has managed to negociate the evacuation of civilians. We decided to stay at the station. We were soldiers, we didn't want to break our vows. In the early afternoon, 2 Ukrainian boats took civilians to the island. As shortly as they went away, “Moscow” began firing on our positions. shortly the air force besides appeared, and Russian peculiar forces landed on the coast. The enemy had a immense advantage. We were incapable to defy him in fast darkness. Our commander has decided to surrender. I'm very grateful to him for that, due to the fact that it's the only reason we survived. But I think the island has done its job. The real mark of the Russian ships was Odessa. And we managed to halt their movement for hours. After that, they were mixed with fog.
How do you callback the first hours of captivity?
Still on the island, the Russians led us to the place we called the pirs, and for respective hours they told us to lie on the ground – in the cold and in the hot wind. Around midnight there was a tow truck called "Sachtior". Our unit, which was occupied by the Russians during the annexation of Crimea. At about 7:00, we reached Sevastopol on board. That's where we spent 2 weeks. At first, we were treated well. We got decent food, we had access to books, TV, showers. But then everything changed. The Russians moved us to Symferopol and from there to Kursk. The next phase was the border town of Shebekino. That's where we were expected to be traded for Russian prisoners. However, this did not happen. For this, violent interrogations began. The Russians wanted to get as much information as possible from us about the deployment of our troops, weapons, morale. They reached out after torture, electrocuted... But it was just an introduction to what they did to us later.
How long have you been in Shebekin?
Just 2 days. Then they put the Snake Island boys in different camps. I went to the Old Oskoł, but all erstwhile in a while they moved me to another places: to Walujek, Alexiejewka, one more time to Kursk. And torture became more elaborate and violent. We starved in Old Circle. In order not to die, we cooked potato peelers mixed with mud. We learned to eat mice, snails, vermin. We only had 15 seconds to shower. We utilized to walk to the bathhouse in the position of a swan, that is, leaning with our hands tied high. At the same time, we had to number in German and French – "eins, zwei, drei", "un, deux, trois". The guards kept saying it was a test before the triumph parade, where they would run us as prisoners. And they gave us past lessons. We had to repeat that Crimea is Russian, that Japan has no rights to the Kuril Islands, that Ukraine is no country, that it is actually ‘Okraina’, or border of Russia... The Russians beat us with sticks, smashed our heads with glass bottles. We were mainly watched by Buriats and Yakuts in the Walujki. There they had specified a device to fire animals – a long plastic baton, through which electricity flowed. They put her to the captives' anus, their genitals, and they pressed the button... Many boys were raped, any castrated. It was a nightmare. Actually, the bearable conditions only prevailed in Alexeyevka. The prison chief treated us decently because, as it turned out, he came from Odessa... But it was an exception..
You felt that Russian prisoners would never leave. But did you live in hope?
W Alexey's guards gave me a Russian passport. Inside, my picture, my data... They tempted: “Sign and you will be released immediately”. I didn't mean to. Then on December 31, 2022, I learned that I was going to Kursk and then to exchange. But besides this time, it turned out to be a lie. I stayed in prison for another year. I didn't leave until last January 3rd. As part of the prisoner exchange, the Russians released 200–300 of ours. erstwhile I went into captivity, I weighed 120 kilograms erstwhile I went out – precisely half less. I've had 2 suicide attempts in almost 2 years, but I have survived moments of weakness. The thought of going back to my household would keep me alive.
After your release, you decided to stay in Ukraine.
First there was a three-month rehabilitation in Lithuania, and then... I wanted to do something useful. Today, I'm inactive actively active in the war, only in a different way. I became active in the fight against Russian misinformation. I participate in the “Break the Face” project, which involves searching online and marking Russian fake news. I drive around the planet and talk about my experiences. Over the last months, I have visited 15 European countries.
Is there religion in you that this war will be over soon?
I hope that, despite all odds, triumph is getting closer. I very much want Ukraine to keep the limits set in 1991 after the dissolution of the USSR. due to the fact that it's written in our constitution.
The talk was held on the occasion of "Watch Docs", a documentary movie festival dedicated to human rights. Władysław Zadorin was a guest of “Little Cinema” in Leszno.
Snake Island (Snake Island) was occupied by Russia until June 30, 2022. Russian troops withdrew from it after attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Kremlin assured that it was "a motion of goodwill". On 8 July 2023, the island was visited by the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski.
