A month after Ukrainian troops liberated this picturesque village in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, the once close-knit community of Shevchenkivka remains cleaved in two over allegations that some residents collaborated with the Russians.
picturesque village in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, the once close-knit community of
In Shevchenkivka and many other liberated towns, the legacy is subtler but no less insidious. Occupation has given way to division, suspicion, and detention. Freedom has fueled thoughts of revenge.On a sunny autumn morning in mid-October, a week after occupying forces fled Shevchenkivka, the village’s 50 or so remaining residents welcomed a Ukrainian army truck bearing a load of bread.Olya Prodchenko, 45, offered to distribute the food.
Nor were they well prepared. Shortly after arriving, three soldiers approached Nadiya Polivesa, 46, outside her house to ask if they could buy potatoes. Uncertain how she would scrape by under occupation, she traded them spuds, milk and eggs for gasoline. “Someone asked me, ‘Babushka, are the occupiers good people?’” the elder Nadiya said. “I said, ‘There are good people everywhere.’ I hope I answered correctly.”
Olya denied welcoming the occupiers or requesting a Russian passport. As evidence of her loyalty, she claimed the FSB questioned her about Ukrainian artillery strikes, and stopped only when they learned she had two disabled sons. Her family of four received 20,000 hryvnia — about $540 — which is roughly Ukraine’s average monthly salary before the war.
No villagers told The Post they voted in favor — not even those who allegedly supported the occupation. But several said they suspected soldiers recorded their votes as “yes” because they had taken the money. The two watched in tears as Ukrainian troops arrived. The first thing soldiers asked was the location of Russian collaborators.
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