Vasyl Stefurak: "We were addressed in Ukrainian language, and I thought that reinforcements had finally arrived. But it turned out to be paratroopers-traitors from Crimea..."
The commander of the 3rd Mechanized Company of the 28th Brigade spent a year and three and a half months in captivity. His comrades in arms are still in captivity.
Vasyl has been at war for ten years. For him, it all started on the Maidan. During the day he served in the Armed Forces, and in the evening he was on the side of the protesters. The first person he met when he came to Maidan in the evening, having changed into civilian clothes, was Ustym Holodniuk. The same guy in the blue peacekeeper's helmet who was shot dead on 20 February 2014...
In general, the history of the Stefurak family is a family saga. Three men of this family fought in the war. Vasyl's brother joined the Right Sector and was killed in autumn 2014... It happened on Vasyl's birthday, who was also fighting hard at the time... The father of these incredible guys joined the army a little later and was seriously wounded at a training ground during his rotation
Censor.NET told the story of the family.
It also appears in the second book "People's Heroes of Ukraine. Real Stories" - the deceased Stepan Stefurak received this highest non-governmental award posthumously. When the book was already in print, it became known that Vasyl had been captured. The only thing that gave a tiny hope that he would be exchanged was a video that was published by the Russians almost immediately. It was both painful and... laughable. Vasyl was forced to speak Russian. And you can hear and see very clearly that this boy from the Ivano-Frankivsk region has a jaw that is exclusively Ukrainian. For him, "Russian is like a foreign language".
We met Vasyl in Kyiv. He was still undergoing rehabilitation. But it seems that what helps him to come to his senses the most is communication with his son. He immediately warned me that he would not talk about what happened to him in prison, because the testimony of prisoners who returned home and recalled in detail what the Russians did to them instantly reflected on those who remained hostages. Their already difficult life in prison is getting much worse...
"WHEN THE RUSSIANS FIRST ENTERED THE VILLAGE, WE IMMEDIATELY DESTROYED ABOUT 15 OF THEIR BMP-3S"
- Where were you at the outbreak of the full-scale offensive? Where was the unit located?
- In Odesa on rotation. The brigade was supposed to defend this city.
The war started for me... At four in the morning, I woke up at home from explosions. A Russian missile hit somewhere nearby. Once, twice... Phone calls started. I got dressed and ran out of the house. We were ready, my packed backpack was in the car. At seven in the morning, I was in Pivdennyi, taking up the defence. Some of our men were sent to Mykolaiv. In order to fully attack Odesa, there had to be a land corridor, so we were waiting for the enemy on land. We were digging in. Mobilised men came, and we taught them. Over time, units began to be sent to the Kherson region. On 20 March, I went to Mykolaiv region.
- Did the enemy try to attack Odesa from the sea?
- Yes, but it all ended at sea. They managed without us (smiles). In the Kherson region, I got to Oleksandrivka. A week later, an attack on this village began. We were defending ourselves, but we were surrounded. For 20 days we fought from the inside. The enemy was knocked out, the Russians withdrew from the village, but we couldn't leave right away. We had to hold the defence in the encirclement. Later we managed to get out. But it was very hard.
- 20 days surrounded... And how did you get ammunition?
- We had enough of everything. It was brought a lot, I took a lot. And then they brought more before their attack. I had hiding places and caches in the village (laughs)... I had a week to go around the whole village. It's not big, but still... So I studied everything, prepared spare places and hiding places in different places.
- What was your position at the time?
- Platoon commander of the 1st Battalion. This is a separate grenade launcher platoon.
The village was not big enough. For three days we were without any communication at all - neither telephones nor radio stations worked. If the radio stations worked, then in the school where the company's command and observation post was located, the company commander did not believe me that I was fighting on the edge of the village with just my platoon. He thought I was in captivity, so the command did not give me an NLAW. I met him only once after the conversation on the radio. "I was afraid that you were a prisoner of war, and the enemy was forcing you to use the radio traffic."
When the connection finally came back on, the deputy battalion commander asked, "Are you in captivity?" - "No. My neighbours do not accept my coordinates, they do nothing. I am holding my sector". They contacted the school, the company commander, and the next day I went there and set up contact.
The company commander held the defence of the village centre. The reconnaissance went out on their own. Another platoon was deployed around the village at different points. I controlled the top of the village. The dam was occupied by Russians. We made a secret in the far corner of the village, the unit was constantly sitting in ambush, controlling and transmitting data on the enemy's movements. And they were maintaining defense... Despite their activity, we even managed to evacuate the wounded - through the estuary. To do this, we mopped-up the shore and went to the water. A boat, an inflatable military boat, sailed up. They took all the wounded - 13 people. They brought us NLAW, weapons, ammunition, batteries. They forgot the batteries for the NLAW, though... They tried to send them to us by copters to the village because the Russians had figured out the situation with the boat. The boat with the wounded had already moved 200-300 metres away when they started shooting, but they did not catch it. But after that, they were already controlling the shore from afar, from an ambush.
We handed over the wounded and stayed in the village for another week, and then left - with fighting.
- Have you seen the results of your resistance?
- When the Russians first entered the village, we immediately destroyed about 15 of their BMP-3s. They are extremely vulnerable at the back, near the engine. So we burned about 15 vehicles. Plus, of course, our artillery was working. Locals gave us information - people were moving around the village, going to the dam where the enemy was. Then they told us that the company commander was replaced because the first one was killed. The platoon commander was also killed... The locals were happy to see us. They brought us flowers. I was surprised by this. I told them: "What flowers? Go and give them to the Katsaps".
We got out at night in two groups when the Russians captured the school - we were the last to leave the company's command and observation post. During the day, my group divided into two additional groups, and during this time we got wounded. We got out with the wounded, and at three o'clock in the morning, we were met in the Mykolaiv region, near the city. We walked for a long time. But by the morning, everyone got out. So, we can say that the full-scale war began for me in the village of Oleksandrivka.
- Didn't you panic that there were so many of them that we wouldn't be able to withstand?
- Yes, there are a lot of them. Everywhere you shoot...
- You hit everywhere?
- Almost so (laughs).
- So that's not a bad thing...
- They drove us back from the village. Section by section, street by street, they demolished - as they do everywhere. The school was completely destroyed. To get out of the school, out of the basement, we had to dig out because everything was covered with rubble - the second floor fell right on the entrance. All the time, I was changing positions around the village, defending myself. I made it all the way to the school.
When we got out, my platoon was subjoined to the 3rd battalion, which had already been sent to fight. It was mid-April. We defended the area near that village until October. A lot happened during this period.
"THEY THREW GRENADES AT US. ONE FELL RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY SOLDIER - HIS LEG WAS TORN OFF"
- Were they always advancing?
- We were on the offensive! We constantly attacked them, trying to knock them out of their positions - just like they are doing to us now. We were crossing fields. It was clear that it was difficult for them to hold the right bank, we were constantly pressing, so they were forced to retreat... The main attacks were carried out closer to Kherson. And we diverted the artillery strikes from the advancing units. And in October, we were moved further, closer to Kherson.
On 19 October, a large-scale offensive began. A tank company was subjoined to the battalion. In the village of Nova Kamianka, we were supposed to break through the defence line, take up positions and hold out for a day until the main forces arrived. But something strange happened, the connection was lost as soon as we reached the initial line.
- But did you break through the enemy line?
- Of course! I was in the second echelon. We broke through the first line and pierced into three and a half kilometres deep, very deep. We moved all day long, but there was no third echelon. No one came to our positions, no one took the front line behind us, and we were in the fire pocket.
- How did the Russians react to this?
- At first, they withdrew, and then they saw that the attack was broken up, no one was there. Three hours had passed, and no one was advancing, no active action. The problem was that there were very few of us. The connection was lost. Some went ahead, others did not understand what to do next. Some people's cars just broke down. The tank company commander's car stalled at the position - that was it. He was next to me, and we sat for two and a half hours.
- Did the Muscovites start advancing on their own?
- Yes, we were counter-attacked from two sides. The company commander to my right moved away, and I had no vehicles: one was burnt out, and two went forward without communication. The tanks were not working. We started to give signals about ourselves with smoke grenades. As soon as we got radio contact, I gave a signal with a yellow smoke grenade so they knew where I was. The Russians were actively attacking from the right and left, and I was taken to a fire pocket. I thought I would somehow hold out until the evening, and then I could withdraw. It was impossible to walk during the day - it was an open field...
- How many of you were in the fire pocket?
- A platoon consisted of nine people. There was also a UR-77 demining vehicle, two crews, and four tank crews. In total, about twenty people. Six went back, they were evacuated. I sent one vehicle, mine, to reload. When I got down, I gave the opportunity to take the wounded out in that car. They did not return to me. The time when I could withdraw quickly passed... And then it was too late. I hoped that we would hold out until nightfall, and then we would definitely be able to withdraw. But...
- How were you captured?
- They came close to us... They were already throwing grenades, and my fighter's leg was torn off - a grenade fell right in front of him. At that time I had another wounded soldier, a fighter with the call sign Kaftan. I realized it was over. And... I heard the Ukrainian language. So I did not immediately realize that it was the enemy. We were facing Crimeans, the 10th Crimean Airborne Brigade. They were shouting at us in Ukrainian language, so I didn't understand that they were not ours... We stopped firing because the battalion commander said that a group was coming up to me from the left. At some point, I thought it was reinforcements, and I swore: "Are we shooting at our people?" But two more seconds passed, and there were a lot of them, wearing Russian uniforms... I understood everything and said: "Do not shoot, we surrender". They took us at gunpoint... That's how we became prisoners
- What about those wounded?
- Kaftan is in captivity. The one who lost his leg was killed. We helped him and evacuated him, it took a long time. He fell asleep while we were being transported in the APC, and when we arrived, he did not wake up. While we were carrying him, he was still alive. But he had lost a lot of blood before we could help him. He died around 12 am. It seems to me that his body was exchanged...
"THERE IS MORE INDIFFERENCE. NO ONE IS PITIED"
- There is a video of you in captivity. It gave me hope that you were alive and there was a chance for an exchange...
- At first, everyone was taken to Crimea, to Sevastopol. I always joked that I would enter Crimea through Rostov, but it turned out that I entered Rostov from Crimea (laughs bitterly). I spent a week in Rostov before the exchange. The first exchange was disrupted because the plane was shot down.
- Was it you who was there at that time?
- Yes. It was scary! We were transporting in a prison truck, there was a captured lieutenant colonel with us, and I said to him: "It's scary to fly, it can be bombed the shit out"(laughs). And then we were told: the plane was shot down by yours. Imagine our shock...
- You were in captivity...
- A year and three and a half months - from 19 October 2022 to 31 January 2024.
- How did you hold on all this time?
- We were told a lot of things. All the time there were rotations of the special forces guarding us. They told us that Kadyrov was already in Kyiv...
- Did you believe it?
- Well, I was there after the Kherson events, after the liberation of part of the Kherson region. They thought that we were all from Mariupol and knew nothing.
How did I hold on? I dreamt about many people. I didn't dream about Ustym, but I saw my brother, Stepan, a couple of times. I dreamt about my son - I was fishing with him. We caught fish, I put him in the car and woke up. This helped me to believe in exchange, not to lose hope.
- Were there moments of despair, tears, or did you become angrier?
- There is more indifference. I don't feel pity for anyone...
- Did you stay with your fighters all the time?
- No. After Sevastopol, we were transferred to the Volgograd region, and I never saw anyone else, there were all new people. We were all transferred to different places.
- Who were you in the holding cell with?
- Guys from the 36th Brigade, from the 101st Brigade. All from Mariupol. The 99th brigade of Mariupol Territorial Defence Forces. "The Azov guys, from the National Guard. After I was released, I reported on everyone who was with me, gave information about everyone...
- How many are still in captivity?
- There are a lot of civilians. A lot of them.
"I WOULD NOT CHANGE ANYTHING IN MY LIFE. I WOULD ONLY GET OUT OF THAT FIRE POCKET BEFORE IT CLOSED, SO AS NOT TO BE CAPTURED."
- When you realized you were already in Ukraine, what did you want? What did you ask for? How did you behave?
- It was strange that I could walk straight, look at people, no one stopped me, I didn't have to keep my hands behind my back, I could do everything. I could look into people's eyes. It was all very surprising at first. And most of all, I wanted to eat. We were fed a delicious soup in Sumy. And I bought everything I wanted in the shop! After that, my stomach hurt so much for two weeks that I had to go on a diet. For some time I ate only porridge.
- When did you see your son?
- He came to me right away - my ex-wife brought him. After the examination and treatment in Dnipro, I was sent for rehabilitation in Irpin near Kyiv, so I go to see my son almost every day, pick him up from school, take him to various clubs. My parents came to see me, but I hadn't been home yet.
- You've been at war for 10 years. Were there moments when you regretted not dismissing from the army earlier? Would you like to change something?
- If I were back in 2014, I would do the same thing again.
- Even if he knew he was going to be captured?
- Yes. But if I had known about the capture, I would have made sure that it didn't happen. I had to get out of that fire pocket before it closed.
- What are you going to do next?
- I am entering the Defence University. As long as there is a war, I will remain in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Then I will be dismissed.
- You are married for the second time...
- Yes, we got married just before I was captured. On the first of September, we got married, and in October I was captured. My wife is from Odesa. So I now live in Odesa.
- After that exchange, when you came back, there didn't seem to be any exchanges...
- There was one for a hundred people. That exchange took place a week or a week and a half after ours. And there were either 210 or 209 of us in the exchange. I keep in touch with the families of my soldiers, I correspond. When the exchange took place, I wrote about it, and when the lists appeared, I sent them. If there is any news, I inform them. It is very hard, in fact, that your people with whom you fought are still in captivity. It's hard...
- The 28th Brigade is now stationed in the Toretsk area. Do you communicate with those who are still fighting?
- My comrades came to see me, my commander visited me when I was in Dnipro. Volodymyr Holodniuk, Ustym's father, did not stop helping me during all the years of the war. When I was already in the Kherson region, he brought me a car. It still drives in the platoon where I served. He constantly takes care of me, calls me. I am happy to be alive and back in Ukraine. But the main thing is that everyone who is still in captivity should return.
Violetta Kirtoka, Censor. NET
