'At the time I served, those territories, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), were officially part of Ukraine. Russia did not deny that.'
Final Statements
'I saw bags over people’s heads. Wires on their limbs. Broken ribs. Damaged kidneys. People beaten to death. Starvation for over a year. No medical help. People rotting alive—their arms, their legs. Lice and bedbugs. Two showers a year that we were allowed to, and after each one, we came out filthier than before. And beaten as well.'
'I saw bags over people’s heads. Wires on their limbs. Broken ribs. Damaged kidneys. People beaten to death. Starvation for over a year. No medical help. People rotting alive—their arms, their legs. Lice and bedbugs. Two showers a year that we were allowed to, and after each one, we came out filthier than before. And beaten as well.'
“I'm not going to tell you, because I know one thing: until your life gets into such a situation, no matter how I describe it, no matter how beautifully I speak about it using different slogans, it won't reach anyone”.
'This is my country, this is my home, I am responsible for it. My conscience is clear, I am not ashamed or afraid'.
'There is little hope for the fairness of the trial'.
'...When I told the refugee camp staff about my past service, I hoped to find at least common sense, at most justice. But now I am afraid. I am afraid, gentlemen. But not before justice. I am afraid that here, in this courtroom, I may find neither.'
‘It’s as though we’re in a “Black Mirror” episode right now. Honestly, it all suggests my case is politically motivated.’
‘They fail to see that Ukrainians don’t need any ‘big brother’. They don’t need, much less, any so-called triune Russian people.’
‘Modern-day Russia is a victim of negative selection.’
‘The inability to peacefully influence the actions of the authorities, and the criminal prosecution of those who disagree, leads to some leaving the country, while others decide to take action.’
‘...I found myself in a world depicted in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. It's a completely different world with its own unique science of punishing people.’
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