Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Europe’s Secretary General of the Council visited Yahidne, Chernihiv Oblast

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection of Germany Robert Habeck and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović-Buryć, inspected the consequences of the occupation of Yahidne village by Russian troops and the war crimes Russians committed, reports the press service of the President of Ukraine.  

Last year, Russian occupants held 367 residents of Yahidne in the basement of the village school in unsanitary conditions, without water and food. There were 50 children among the hostages, including several infants – the youngest was a month and a half old. 11 people died, unable to withstand the inhumane conditions. The Russian occupiers shot 10.

In November 2022, the Ukrainian World Congress released a mini-film, “Names On The Wall,” dedicated to the residents of Yahidne who died at the hands of Russian soldiers. The villagers compared the cruel treatment and food deprivation to the Holodomor of 1932-33 committed by the Stalinist regime, which did not spare their village then. 

The President of Ukraine and European guests talked to the residents of Yahidne who survived the occupation. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of the presence of representatives of our partners in the liberated territories of Ukraine who can see everything with their own eyes.

After visiting Yahidne, where #Russians held 367 people in a school basement during the time of occupation in 2022, Pres. @ZelenskyyUa wished Putin to "spend the rest of his life in a dark basement with a 🪣 for a toilet". We support, but a prison cell’s also a good alternative! pic.twitter.com/5Mpn5Mdw21

— Ukrainian World Congress 🇺🇦 (@UWCongress) April 3, 2023