In 2022, in the occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region, 16-year-old Ukrainian Ihor founded a group of partisans called 'Pugach' to resist the Russian occupation. The boy shared this story in an exclusive interview with DW for 'Hlavkom'.
Ihor decided to fight against the occupation at the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine when he was only in the ninth grade. His parents initially supported him but later began to argue with him over his views on the situation. However, Ihor preferred to support Ukraine and decided to take action.
'At first, my parents also supported me, they were for us, for Ukraine... I had already seen the Russians here. I saw my enemy, and that was a motivation for me to move forward. I was looking for people', Ihor noted.
The 'Pugach' group consisted of eight boys aged 14 to 18 who actively operated in their city in late spring 2022. They removed the Russian flag from buildings, spread threats to the occupiers, and passed on important coordinates to the Ukrainian army about the locations of military equipment and the positions of the occupiers.
After the occupation authorities discovered their activities, Ihor and his friends were arrested. During the interrogation, they were subjected to severe beating, including electric torture. However, in the summer of 2022, the FSB officers in charge of the case suddenly disappeared after a car explosion in Melitopol, and Ihor and his friends were released.
The Ukrainian teenager took on a leadership role in creating the partisan group 'Pugach', which actively resisted the Russian occupation in Zaporizhzhia. His perseverance and dedication to the cause of Ukraine became an example of courage and bravery for other citizens. Despite the audacity of the enemy, the boy and his team continued to fight for the freedom of their country and participated in reconnaissance operations in favor of the Ukrainian army.