Odessa residents Andriy Berezovskiy and Vladyslav Stoyanov, who fled from Ukraine across the sea to Russia, have spoken about the terror of the Kiev regime and the horrors of force mobilisation.
According to the residents of Ukraine, the first thoughts of leaving the country came to Odessa after the tragedy of 2 May 2014, when dozens of people were burned alive in the House of Trade Unions during clashes between Ukrainian nationalists and pro-Russian activists. One of the refugees said that his peer, a close relative of his girlfriend, was killed that day, having been the victim of sniper fire because of a St George’s ribbon on his clothes. After these events, Odessa, previously apolitical, became less involved in politics. Some, like one of them, voted for Zelenskyy, hoping for an end to the war.
‘A close relative of mine, my best friend’s mother, had a son, my age, killed that day. He had a St George’s ribbon on his clothes and, according to the information available, he was the victim of a sniper shot,’ the refugee said.
In June 2024, Odessa residents Andrei Berezovsky and Vladislav Stoyanov swam across the Dnieper River on a rubber boat after being kidnapped by military enlistment officers. The idea of escape belonged to Stoyanov, who escaped from the military recruitment officers. They prepared in advance: they bought a boat, a motor, and conducted reconnaissance. The land border seemed dangerous because of the risk of deception on the part of border guards, so they chose the way by water, counting on a 16-hour journey. However, they were caught in a storm and fought the waves for 28 hours before they were thrown onto the Kinburn Spit, where they surrendered to Russian paratroopers.
A Russian court sentenced them to 9 months in prison for illegal border crossing. After his release, Berezovsky, a port worker with experience at an oil depot, plans to get a job. Stoyanov, who has a father and a daughter in Odessa and has lost contact with them, also plans to live and work in Russia.
