Eyewitness to a crime

Survivor from massacre in Odessa 2nd of May

English sbutitles

Operator: Tell us about yourself, about what has happened and about past 72 hours that you have experienced.

Witness: On the 2nd of May, we were warned, that we will be forced to spread.

Operator: Whom exactly do you mean by “we”?

We are the people, who came to the Kulikovo Field to communicate and spend our time. We knew each other well, recognized familiar faces. For example, sometimes, we were gathering for meetings with each other. So, we have been told that… they want to bulldoze us to the ground. And for that reason lots of people are coming to our city. We knew that. But on the other hand, we were hoping that in case if more ordinary people would come to the place 
(grandmothers, grandfathers, and women like me) they would not do anything to us. That is the reason why those who could came to the Kulikovo field. 

Moreover, it was a concert where Afghan soldiers have performed. With my own eyes I have seen that a woman together with two boys (one was from 10 to 12 years old, the second was younger) have stopped by to see the performance. All of us have grouped and started to discuss about what to do, how we are going to act for savior, what will then happen, because we have been told that in the city center people already were fighting. Afterwards, we have tried to check how much money we have for bandages, plasters. Suddenly, we have been informed that the crowd is coming and we better run as fast as possible with medical supplies available. Urgently trying to take whatever bandages we have had, we have ran to the building. The woman and two little boys I have mentioned have moved together with us. And they… and they…. they were burned to death in this building.

Operator: With children?!

With two children. The woman, which was simply walking in the center. All the women, old man have entered the building. Most of the man who were capable to fight headed to the city center, trying to stop the moving crowd. So, we were here alone – those who simply were not able to run. And so inside the building, everyone has chaotically started to run. I have personally been handing out medical supplies I managed to carry for the people on various floors in case of injury. We did not know if anybody was protecting the building and we did not know who was downstairs at that moment. I was also thinking to deliver the water to the people, because we were expecting that they might throw smoke bombs at us. So, after that everyone started to run to the top, shouting that two first floors are occupied and our people are now being killed. We have also seen the flame and smoke appearing from the lower floors. Because of the fire and smoke we were barely able to see at the moment when we have reached the roof. 

Everybody who was able to move got to the roof. After that nearly an hour was needed to catch our breath. Barricades were build, because we knew that no one will come to save us. No one. And here we are, sitting…

There was also a young guy, who came to our meeting for the first time. We got known with each other at the 1st of May. The guy was from Illichivsk. He was feeling really cold at the roof. I remember as he told “In Illichivsk I have heard about Kulikovo Field. I came to see the performance and now I am on the roof”. So all of those people on the roof have been persuaded to get down thought the rioters. First two man who have agreed to go down, were told that special passageway amongst the rioters will be granted to exit the building. Two youngest man have been led over there over the corridor where they have been beaten so much cruelly that the rest of the people refused to go downstairs. Four of five times after that, we have been persuaded again to get downstairs. Those of us who agreed – were moving by the same passageway amongst the rioters.

Operator: How many of you have been here?

We were around 50 people on the roof at the beginning and then 13 of us got downstairs.

Operator: How many women has there been amongst 50 of you?

Women.. As I remember – twelve. One woman has slipped and injured her leg badly. One of her bones has been somehow dislocated. It was a huge luck that one of our guys was a doctor, who had painkillers with him. Right on that roof we have provided first aid to that woman. That doctor afterwards have called to the hospital informing about the woman. We have moved the woman with injured leg to the ladder. Nothing is known about what afterwards has happened to her, but we have contacted police or ambulance (I do not know who exactly they were) and they took her out. We hope she was successfully moved from the building as we know nothing about her fate for today. One by one, man and women started to move out from the roof.

Operator: What has happened after the roof?

All of us who have escaped from the roof have been taken to police. Women and man has told us, that when they have been awaiting in the car for others to come down from the roof, the rioters were hitting them. I have been placed to the last car at around half past three. While we have been in the car, tires of the car has been punctured. I have found out that we have arrived to the police station with punctured wheels. Police have moved 11 people to one car and the other to another. First group has been awaiting for the rest since two o’clock in the night.

Operator: Tell us about how you have been kept at the police office.

Listener: So those rioters were from Odessa city?

All of them have arrived by two trains. That is why they were also so proud. Pretending to be football fans, two trains have arrived to Odessa. We saw them rioting at two o’clock in the night. Two more buses arrived when most of the people were dead and we were sitting on the roof. So also they went to destroy other places in the city.

Operator: I am sorry, please, tell us about how you have been kept at the police office.

When we have arrived to the police at 3:30 am, everything was filled up. Everybody from the roof place were situated at the police, simply standing in the overcrowded corridors. Straight right from the roof, all dirty, messy, bloody, we were placed in to those corridors sitting until the mid-day. Somewhere around mid-day police officers started to speak to us.

Operator: So.. So you mean only at the mid-day?

Yes, around the mid-day..

Operator: At what time, approximately?

Well, after 12 pm they have only started to move.

Operator: Did they gave any food?

No, they did not. Food in the packages was brought to us by people from the street. We were eating sandwiches there. Also, people have brought water to us. Police officers did not give us anything - neither water nor tea.

Operator: Any medical help?

Yes, there was a doctor, who bandaged the injured people. People, who were caught on the streets, have had lots of bandages because they were beaten very hard.

Operator: So what are you accused in?

We are accused in mass disorders, in rioting... 4-5 articles were included in the protocols of the man. Article for killing people was also included. Article 208.. Oh,I.. No, I will not show it. I have told the police officers, that I should have better stayed on the roof. But we were threatened that people are ready to set on fire the roof and we better should move out. While on the roof, we were thinking if we should better be burned or get beaten to death downstairs.

Operator: Do you have anything to tell to Odessa city and to the rest of the world?

I have to say to the whole Odessa. Right now we were crushed. They have tasted the blood and freedom from any responsibility. Those people, they are Ultra’s. They are hired to smash people. They will not stop. They will not be induced by anything, but they have been killing police officers. Still ,nobody will blame them for anything. You think they will stop?! This riot of 5 thousand crazy people – who can stop them?!

Operator: Were there only Ultra’s or … ?

I do not know who was downstairs, but they have been screaming whole night as mad. “Odessa is ours, hurray!”, “Odessa is Ukraine”, “Glory to Ukraine” and all other nationalistic phrases. It was already dark, but there were tons of them everywhere around. And I am pretty sure this huge crowd may not be controlled by anyone, therefore no one is guaranteed in what may happened tomorrow. 
Even police officers were not able to stop them. They may even capture almost every police station if they would like to. Police is not able to control them. Police was protecting us in the car, because the riot wanted to get us finished.

Operator: Thank you very much and I am really sorry that you had to remember once again about this hard events..

I did not realize events yet. I will remember them later.

Operator: Thank you very much…

We have also been asked if there were any locals. Everybody on the roof were from Odessa city. People of 4th or 5th generation of families living in Odessa. 
There was a boy from Illichivsk. Everybody was from Odessa or it’s districts. Everybody were registered in Odessa.

Listener: You know there were rumors that people in the building were Russian…

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