A few months before the full-scale Russian invasion, 22-year-old Mariana Chechelyuk from Mariupol completed her studies at the law academy and joined the ranks of the National Police.
For the first month of the invasion, the young woman hid in the basement of the house on the Left Bank of the city along with her parents and younger sister Alina.
At the end of March, Maryana and her sister Alina got separated from their parents and ended up in the bunkers of Azovstal.
On May 1, 2022, the Russian side agreed to open a humanitarian corridor for civilians who were at the plant.
Maryana, her then 15-year-old sister and other civilians were met by Russians, several representatives of the UN and the Red Cross. There were also journalists who filmed them.
The people were then transported to a filtration site in worse conditions than kettle. They had to remain on the buses for 12 hours.
When they finally reached the filtration point , they were forced to get naked so Russians can check them for tattoos. Their phones were also checked. Then everyone was interrogated.
“They were shining a lamp in my face. They threatened to send me to an orphanage and to kill my parents if I don't tell them about Maryana's ties with the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” recollects Alina.
The girls were interrogated for about six hours, and after that the documents for departure were given to both.
Before the nighttime, the Russians with white bandages came for Maryana, and took her off the bus. They told Alina that if her sister does everything the way she should, she will be released. Most likely, they wanted to force Maryana to switch sides.
“I found representatives of the Red Cross and the UN to help me get my sister back. I even got on my knees in front of them, begged, and cried. I didn't have a phone, so I couldn't even call my parents,” says Alina.
The next morning, UN representatives together with civilians from Azovstal were supposed to go to Zaporizhzhia. Alina was also offered to go - but she chose to stay at the filtration site in hopes that her sister would be released in a few days.
Eventually, Russians contacted Alina's parents and ‘asked’ them to take her from the filtration site or otherwise they would put her in an orphanage. Alina’s parents managed to get Alina, but couldn't find out where Maryana was being held.
It took Mariana Chechelyuk's family over two years of contacting various organizations to bring their daughter back home.
Full article about Maryana:
https://vikna.tv/ru/istorii/maryana-chechelyuk-vernulas-iz-rossijskogo-plena-31-maya/amp/
Translation by Natalka
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