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Two Ukrainian women, volunteer Lyudmila Huseynova and senior combat medic Anna Olsen, were imprisoned on Ukrainе’s territory under Russia’s occupation and in Russia. They came to the United States to tell their stories and issue a call to action. Tatiana Vorozhko has the story
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((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Ukraine POW Support – Vorozhko
HEADLINE: Ukrainians Speak in US After Prisoner Exchange With Russia
TEASER:
PUBLISHED: 03/10/2023 AT 9:45AM
BYLINE: Tatiana Vorozhko
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Oleksii Osyka
VIDEO EDITOR: Oleksii Osyka, Anna Rice
SCRIPT EDITORS: Kevin Enochs, Sharon Shahid SR
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, agencies
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB X TV X RADIO
TRT: 3:13
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG ))
((INTRO))
[[Two Ukrainian women, volunteer Lyudmila Huseynova and senior combat medic Anna Olsen, were imprisoned on Ukrainе’s territory under Russia’s occupation and in Russia. They came to the United States to tell their stories and issue a call to action. Tatiana Vorozhko has the story.]]
((NARRATION))
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, about 2000 Ukrainians — both soldiers and civilians — have been captured and released as part of prisoner exchanges.
Two Ukrainian women — a volunteer and a combat medic — came to the U.S. to tell their story after they were released following a prisoner exchange with Russia.
((Lyudmila Huseynova, Volunteer)) ((UKR))
“I wasn’t allowed to sit or lie down from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. I had to pace or stand. Once, I got so tired, I climbed into bed a few minutes before 10. They threw me down and started beating [me]. There, I could always hear screams of men and women being tortured.”
((NARRATION))
Lyudmila Huseynova was detained in the Donetsk region in 2019 after the city residents complained about her pro-Ukrainian stance.
The next three years,
((Mandatory courtesy: Traktorist_dn (Social Media)
she spent at a Donetsk detention center with criminals.
((End courtesy))
((Lyudmila Huseynova, Volunteer)) ((UKR))
“I slept next to women I didn’t know. One had tuberculosis. The other was also sick. That’s where you sleep. There’s also a hole in the ground covered with a cloth — that’s the toilet. You bathe there, as well. Do dishes there, too.”
((NARRATION))
In October 2022, Huseynova was released during a women prisoner exchange.
In April 2022, combat medic Anna Olsen
((Mandatory courtesy: Anna Olsen))
was in Mariupol and had almost 1,000 wounded in her care.
When her brigade surrendered, she spent months in prison in Olenivka,
((End courtesy))
on the occupied territory in Ukraine, and in Russia - in Taganrog, Kursk, and Belgorod region.
((Anna Olsen, Combat Medic, Ukraine’s Armed Forces)) ((UKR))
“In Taganrog, it was the worst. There, we suffered the most physical and emotional pressure. Pressure and torture.”
((NARRATION))
Russia has repeatedly refused to directly address any incidents of mistreatment of prisoners, alleged war crimes or torture. Moscow has labeled them “fake news,” or even in some cases, staged attempts by the Ukrainians to discredit Russia.
But Olsen talks about the many violations of the Geneva Convention regarding the handling of prisoners of war committed by Russians: torture, refusal to provide medical assistance, psychological abuse and malnutrition.
Now, the two women are pushing to create a special mechanism that would free Ukrainian civilians from Russian captivity.
((Anna Olsen, Combat Medic, Ukraine’s Armed Forces)) ((UKR))
“The Geneva Convention ensures the possibility for the exchange of prisoners of war, but there’s no such mechanism for civilians that are also in captivity.”
((Lyudmila Huseynova, Volunteer)) ((UKR))
“Create such a mechanism, help us save men and women that are still there. There are prisoners who have been there for two, four, five years — many more since the start of Russia’s invasion.”
((NARRATION))
((Mandatory courtesy: Traktorist_dn (Social Media)
According to Ukrainian authorities, in late 2022, some 3,400 Ukrainian citizens were in Russian captivity, 40% of them civilians.
((Tatiana Vorozhko, for VOA News, Washington))
((End courtesy))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMarch 10, 2023 09:42 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English