OLEH BATURIN RELEASED BY RUSSIAN INVADERS

Russian military released Oleh Baturin, a journalist from Kakhovka. He was in captivity for almost 8 days. The military knew who they had abducted. And they systematically tried to break Oleh’s will. They tortured him physically and psychologically.

“They humiliated me. They threatened me. They said they would kill me. Almost eight days. 187 hours of captivity. Virtually no food. Some days almost without water. No soap, no change of clothes. Not understanding where I am. But they clearly knew why they were doing this. They wanted to break me, to trample me. They wanted to show what will happen to every journalist: you will be deprived of everything. You will be killed,” — Oleh Baturin.

Despite all the suffering and humiliation, the journalist’s fighting spirit could not be broken: “With my life I wanted to prove that you can live in a small town and try to make it better with all your actions. Although Kakhovka is not an ideal town, but it is my hometown. I love it a lot. Here live my friends who share my values, here live my relatives, here are many people I am proud of. My heart is with you forever “, — Oleh Baturin.

At least 11 civilian journalists or media workers have been killed in the Russo-Ukrainian War as of 18 March 2022.