She was abducted and detained in torturing chamber for over 40 days. Then, she was brought to the field at night, given a bag with explosives and declared as “officially detained”.
61 years old Olga Baranevska from Melitopol underwent through court trial in Russian captivity. She remained on temporary occupied territory to care about her old parents but was detained and arrested by Russian occupants. Her daughter Aksinia Bobruiko told to the Center for Journalist Investigations the story of abduction, occupation and problems with Ukrainian governmental support of civilian captives.
Olga Anatoliivna Baranevska lived quietly on occupied territory, cared about her old parents and cultivated roses. She managed community of rose lovers on Facebook and sent her seedlings. Plants from her garden have grown all over Ukraine. Olga Baranevska has not been involved into Ukrainian resistance movement on occupied territories but she was detained, arrested and persecuted by Russian intelligence services.
“We were ready for the war”
The house of Baranevsky family is located in Melitopol near the airport. Nobody slept in the morning of February 24, 2022, the day of the Russian invasion.
“We packed our staff and waited for further events. I don’t know about other families, but we discussed prospects of the Russian invasion and talked about our actions if it would happen. We were ready for the worst scenario. Mother worked in a kindergarten. Managers of kindergarten sent a notice at 6 a.m. that educational institutions would not work and everybody – children and personnel – should stay at home”, as says Aksinia Bobruiko.
Ukrainian kindergartens would not re-open in occupied Melitopol. But Olga Baranevska, as employees of all educational institutions on occupied territory, remained officially employed.
Flowers from Olga Baranevska’s garden can be found all over Ukraine. Photo from family archive, presented by Aksinia Bobruiko
“Ukrainian authorities kept paying salary to my mother and her colleagues. It helped them survive and refuse from cooperation with occupants. Then, she turned 60 years old and retired”, as says daughter of Olga Baranevska.
As she says, some colleagues of her mother agreed to cooperate with Russian occupants and sometimes asked Olga to work in kindergartens opened by Russian occupation authorities. Olga refused.
“There was an acute shortage of personnel. Russian occupants invited everybody somehow related to kindergartens (nannies, janitors) to work as teachers. Those, who agreed to cooperate, were sent for professional “upgrading” at the fake university created in Melitopol. They should have received formal confirmation of their relevant educational background. It was unacceptable for my mother and many other teachers to work for occupants”, as explains Aksinia.
Olga Baranevska. Photo from family archive, presented by Aksinia Bobruiko
Together with her son, Aksinia left occupied territory whereas her mother Olga stayed to take care of her old parents who lived in Melitopol.
“I realized that disaster came”
“In the morning of May 15, I noticed that my mother has not been online. Communication through messengers has been very important for us. If we did not call each other, then, we sent news or pictures. I thought that there were problems with communication (it often happens on occupied territories) or there was something wrong with a phone of mother. Later I saw a message from a friend of mother. She wrote that mother did not answer phone calls. I realized that disaster came”, as recalls Aksinia.
She asked mutual friends in the town to visit her mother’s house. They did and wrote that there was Olga’s bicycle in the courtyard and unpacked bags.
Aksinia Bobruiko immediately informed Ukrainian authorities about possible abduction of her mother.
“I informed the National Police, the State Security Service, the Border Service of Ukraine, Coordination Headquarters on Issues of War Captives, and National Information Bureau. I also called municipal service “Abducted inhabitants of Melitopol”. It collects information about disappeared city inhabitants and provides consultations to their relatives.
Aksinia suddenly received video call from her mother in forty days, on June 27.
“Night scenario for abducted people”
“Imagine my happiness! Mother called from grandmother’s house. She told that she was released from detention and would cook evening meals. She promised to call later and tell more. I asked about her health and she told that she was ok. She repeated that she would call in the evening. But our neighbor called me in several hours and told mother was detained again”, as tells daughter of Olga Baranevska.
Olga Baranevska, photo from family archive, presented by Aksinia Bobruiko
A neighbor told Aksinia what she was told by Olga. On June 26, Russian occupants brought Olga and a man in the field at night, gave them some stuff, called the police and registered “official detention for violation of curfew”.
Next day they were kept in the police office. Russian occupants “documented violation”, i.e. falsified the case. They did not pay attention at Olga. So, she left the office and came home.
Next time Aksinia received a message from a person who stayed together with Olga at detention center. Olga received 14 days of so-called “administrative arrest”. Later she got a call from detention center in occupied village of Vesele – representatives of this center asked relatives to bring insulin to Olga (she suffered from diabetes).
Without feedback
Now Olga Baranevska is detained in detention center # 1 in occupied Donetsk. Aksinia found its address in the Internet and is able to communicate with her mother. Olga Baranevska lost 20 kg. She has problems with health but still believes that she will come back home.
Her daughter is conscious that it is risky to publish the story of abduction of her mother. But she believes that more people around the world should know about abduction of Ukrainian civilians by the Russian military.
“We should write and cry openly about Ukrainian civilian captives! The worst happened…
What the Ukrainian government does? It compiles statistics. Communication with any governmental bodies ends with adding information to your personal online cabinet. I did not get feedback from Ukrainian authorities.
There is no precise number of Ukrainian abducted civilians. Ombudsman tells about over 14 thousand people. How many people returned to Ukraine through exchanges? 160 people. It is very difficult for me to organize support of my mother from abroad. I will do my best but situation for relatives of civilian captives can be improved. I do not want to be an enemy of my state and would like that the state turns its attention at relatives of Ukrainian civilian captives”, as says daughter of abducted Olga Baranevska.
Occupied Melitopol in 2022
On November 19, 2024, Russian court illegally sentenced Olga Anatoliivna Baranevska to six years of imprisonment. Her relatives submitted an appeal. They hope she will be released or returned through exchange.
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Family of Olga Baranevska spends its own money for lawyer’s services and transfer of necessary stuff to Olga. You can support them. Here is a link https://send.monobank.ua/jar/97SHSS4Quw . Number of bank card 5375 4112 2380 0710
