16 Ukrainian civilians have been killed every day since the start of the full-scale invasion. These are officially confirmed figures from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, while the actual numbers are undoubtedly higher. It is also impossible to determine the exact number of civilians who have been attacked by the Russian Armed Forces in the occupied territories. We learn about these stories from survivors who managed to leave the occupied regions.

On 3rd March 2022, the village of Novozlatopil in Zaporizhzhia region was occupied. The Russians immediately began moving into the abandoned houses, setting up checkpoints and deploying their own military equipment next to civilians' homes, sometimes right in their gardens. The apartment of the woman interviewed by the Association's documenters was located less than 100 metres from Russian positions. She and her family were hiding from numerous shelling in the cellar of the house.

On the 26th of March, the family ran out of food, so the interviewee and her husband decided to take food from their neighbours. Halfway there, Russian soldiers started shooting at them with firearms without warning. The woman received two bullet wounds to the arm and chest, and her husband - to the back. They were taken to a field hospital, where they received superficial medical care. In the evening of the same day, the couple returned to their home village and stayed in a basement in the centre of Novozlatopil.

On 28 March, the Russian military told the villagers that those who had their own cars should drive towards the Russian Federation.

When the interviewee's husband came to the house to pick up the car and his belongings, he was detained.

"They found American weapons. They accused him of being an American mercenary, and my husband was just a hunter. He was threatened with execution, but they released him. Later, my nephew came to pick up things from the house, he was grabbed in the yard. The Russian military said there would be shelling soon and simply threw him tied up in the shed. My nephew managed to untwist his hands and escape."

Eight people got into the car of the interviewee's family, while the civilians were leaving in a convoy of 15 cars. At first, they tried to drive towards Huliaipole, but they failed - the soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces threatened to shoot them. However, they managed to leave the occupation and drive to Zaporizhzhia through the village of Pryiute, where they were met by the Ukrainian military.

Because the woman was not operated on in time, she developed inflammation - peritonitis. She received a group II disability.

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