Soviet Reality in Transcarpathia: They Kidnap Your Husband And You Apologize

Transcarpathia is no exception from Ukraine's inhumane forced conscription practices. Recently, the military abducted a father at a roadside checkpoint in Okormezo in front of his family. The wife first went into a state of shock, then shared her story online. Eventually, in line with old Soviet traditions, she was forced to apologize.

Rosztov-na-Donu, 2022. október 4. Újoncok kiképzésen vesznek részt a dél-oroszországi Rosztovi terület egyik gyakorlóterén 2022. október 4-én. Az orosz védelmi miniszter szerint több mint 200 ezer embert soroztak be az Ukrajna elleni háború miatt szeptember 21-én elrendelt részleges mozgósítás keretében. MTI/EPA/Arkagyij Budnyickij Fotó: Arkagyij Budnyickij

In recent weeks, a series of incidents unfolded, even within Transcarpathia, where soldiers from the military staff command abused their authority by forcefully apprehending individuals and transporting them to various recruitment centers. These incidents included armed raids on thermal baths, restaurants, and gyms, as well as street kidnappings in Mukachevo, Uzhhorod, and beyond. The local population had to relive the brutality of the Eastern world, echoing the horrors of 1944.

As is known, Ukrainian has two counties that stand out for their brutal military mobilization tactics: one of these is the Russian-speaking Odessa county, the other is the multi-ethnic Transcarpathia. 

Now, this says a lot about Ukraine's current chauvinistic "minorities policy," where everyone who speaks a different language than the 'Great Ukrainian' is perceived an enemy.

Transcarpathia, haunted by the past

Transcarpathia has recently experienced another shocking case, one reeking so blatantly of former Soviet practices that would make even Lavrenty Beria, the ex-chief of the Soviet Union's notorious Joint State Political Directorate (JSPD) envious. Unfortunately, the methods of the former Soviet state security service and secret police still haunt Ukraine as it strives to enter 21st century Europe. Of course, no one will shoot you on sight now, but they do oblige you to express the "right" opinion. 

This is what happened to a woman who, out of desperation, recently posted a plea for help online after her husband was kidnapped by uniformed officers at a military checkpoint in Okormezo in front of her and their children.

The woman spoke her native Russian in the video and explained that she came to Transcarpathia with her loved ones from eastern Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk county. 

My husband was taken away, so I'm alone with my kids in a village that I do not know. I have no idea what to do. My children are crying, we have nowhere to go, because I'm still in a state of nervous breakdown. My husband was fetched by soldiers and his papers were taken with him. They say they took him to Hust, but I don't know where that is,

– explained the abandoned wife, still in shock.

The desperate woman from Dnipropetrovsk in the video (l), and then during her interrogation (r). Photo: Telegram

The incident was instantly picked up by the Ukrainian press, which can be characterized by a general democracy deficit and the lack of free expression. The most influential press outlets featured the woman's story on their front pages, highlighting that the soldiers' actions were becoming increasingly repugnant. Kidnapping a father from his wife and children evoked memories of the mass deportations of 1944. It later emerged that the man was likely taken to the Rivne training center in north Ukraine, following his removal from Khust.

"I apologize for the kidnapping of my husband..."

Following the extensive media coverage, the Ukrainian state power's hired guns, individuals like Vitaly Glagola known for his anti-Hungary views and Orbanophobia, also stepped forward. The publicist from Uzhhorod, who received a Christmas gift from the head of the Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU) and even boasted about it, published a video with the wife sitting in an administrative room, presumably at the SBU, apologizing for what happened in Ukrainian, not in her native language. In the video, she says:

I apologize for showing the army and the Khust military headquarters in a bad light.

The threatened woman does not even mention her husband in this laest video. And of course, adhering to old traditions, Mr Glagola now presents the incident as if she had recorded the apology of her own free will.

Cover photo: Recruits take part in a training exercise at a training area in the Rostov region of southern Russia on October 4, 2022 (Photo: MTI/EPA/Arkady Budnytsky)