This is the first time Valery returns to the prison where the Russians took him. As he walks through the gates, he points out the cell on the second floor where he was locked up. And when he recounts what happened here it is clear that it is a painful experience. The latest war in Ukraine – Putin will take away the passports of citizens who criticize the war Image: Valery shows Sky News the prison where the Russians took him “In the 20 cells, there were more than 180 prisoners. People were being tortured every day. “If you go inside the prison and see what they have written on the walls, you will see how much they hated us.” Valery was a successful businessman before he was arrested when he resisted as soldiers stole his trucks from his factory. But what the Russians didn’t know was that their crimes were caught on CCTV as they ransacked his office and drove off in his vehicles. Image: CCTV footage shows Russian soldiers stealing from Valery’s workplace He shows me the pictures on his phone. They clearly show soldiers filling bags with valuables and computer equipment. When they left, they tore everything down. Each image is dated – they all happened in March shortly after the invasion, when they captured the city of Kherson. On the walls of the prison graffiti reads “Zelensky here we come”. But surprisingly Valery considers himself lucky as, he says, other prisoners were tortured much worse. “They were severely tortured. They were electrocuted. They were drowning people in the water. They were cutting people. They did things that I can’t imagine how any human could do. We prayed that Ukraine would return to Kherson as soon as possible. “Please forgive me. This is hard for me. It’s hard, very hard. Forgive me.” What happened to this building during the Russian occupation is only now coming to light. Andrei from the apartment building next door told Valery that residents could also hear the screams. “I heard everything, it was scary. “They were raping girls here. Then they brought men here and beat them and killed them.” Image: People in Kherson wait their turn to charge their electronics The pain of Russian occupation is everywhere – this is a city still coming to terms with and dealing with collective trauma. Every day the queues for water grow longer, a miserable wait in the bitter cold. Strength is hard to come by. Click to subscribe to Ukraine War Diaries wherever you get your podcasts People crowd around a generator to charge their phones and flashlights. Among them was Lisa, who had been waiting here for the last three hours. Image: Lisa queues every day for water and electricity It’s becoming part of her everyday life, but she’s scared. “There might be shelling from the left bank. We were warned about it. We were told to seek shelter, if not, at least try to hide in a safe part of the house.” You can still feel the heady atmosphere of liberation, but people are tired and afraid of what’s next.
