Vadym Tokar talks about street fights in the city, the shooting of civilians by Russian orcs and the rapes of girls who were later killed.

Text by: Dmytro Syniak

Photo from the Facebook page of MP Oleh Dunda (2 April 2022)

Vadym Tokar is not an ordinary mayor. He is a reserve officer who has been training regularly since 2014. It so happened that on February 24, when the local Territorial Defence Forces had not yet been formally established, he was the one to organise the locals, ready to take up arms to defend Makariv. These people later coordinated their efforts with those of the remaining security forces in the city and did not hesitate to engage in street fighting with the enemy. This consolidated ‘people’s unit’ successfully stood up to the Russian military, enduring 29 days of continuous fighting and even a four-day siege of the city. Thanks in part to the fight that Makariv put up, hordes of Russian orcs did not reach Kyiv. Now that they have retreated, the Makariv municipality is trying to recover. It is assessing the destruction and casualties among the civilian population. Vadym Tokar told Decentralization about the fighting in and out of the city, as well as about the war crimes of the Russian army.

How much damage did the municipality suffer?

The damage is quite extensive, especially in Makariv, where shelling hardly stopped for an hour during the entire month. We were shelled day and night. We are just starting to assess all the damage, so I do not have exact figures, but I can already say that the war affected at least 40% of all buildings in Makariv. There are no undamaged administrative premises; the hospital was destroyed, schools were damaged, and two kindergartens were ruined. There is currently no electricity, no gas, no heat, no water, no phone signal, no Internet in the city. No shop, pharmacy or administrative institution is open in Makariv. That is, living conditions are basically non-existing. However, there are about a thousand people left in Makariv, which is fifteen times less than before the war, but still. We provide them with humanitarian aid, which we receive from our partners and distribute to those in need. The villages of Andriyivka, Pylypivka and Berezivka also faced severe damage. Many houses were destroyed there, as well as schools, kindergartens and medical and obstetric care facilities. The situation in other villages of the municipality is better.

Was the evacuation of the residents from Makariv organised by the City Council?

The fighting for Makariv began on February 24, that is we hardly had time to evacuate. In addition, at first the fighting took place on the outskirts of the city, and most people did not want to leave their homes. They did not leave Makariv even when electricity was cut off. People started to leave only after the first shelling of residential neighbourhoods, and only with their own vehicles. And then the Russians surrounded the city, and there was no way out. Fortunately, the siege lasted only four days. Then the Armed Forces secured us a corridor the majority of residents used to flee. We dubbed this liberated road ‘the path of life’. Residents of the municipality were taken to safety by volunteers, and the City Council assisted them to the best of our abilities.

Did the Russian army enter Makariv?

Yes, they did. Two neighbourhoods—or around 15-20% of the city—were under their control. We held the rest of the area, fighting street battles with Russian orcs every day. At the same time, we were shelled with Grad and Uragan MRLS as well as mortars, which caused catastrophic destruction to the city. Makariv’s defenders were in a particularly tough spot as we had no connection with the district authorities or the capital. We did not know what was happening in the country and where our Armed Forces are now. However, we held on because we believed in our victory. And when a fighter would start to doubt whether we should retreat from the city ‘to safer areas’, I objected, “We have nowhere to retreat! Kyiv is behind us! We must not let the orcs in!” And the guys held on. I am proud to have fought alongside them!

The whole world is now stunned by the shocking news of the massacre that the Russians staged in Bucha. How did the occupiers behave in the Makariv municipality?

Different units behaved differently. Ten villages of our community were under occupation: Motyzhyn, Kopyliv, Severynivka, Kolonshchyna, Berezivka, Havronshchyna, Pylypivka, Chervonohirka, Plakhtianka, Andriyivka. And each of them has their own story to tell. It all depended on the specific military unit. In some villages, the Russians did not touch the local population, and even if they did take something, it was only food—which they lacked—and valuables. Sometimes they would steal cars. In other villages and in Makariv itself, however, the situation was completely different. Andriyivka got it the worst. There, the men that the Russians found suspicious were first interrogated in the basement and then shot. Their families were not even allowed to take away their bodies. We also found the bodies of several local girls in Andriyivka, who were first raped and then killed. We will report all war crimes to international organisations later. In total, the Russians killed at least a hundred people in the Makariv municipality, and this figure is not final, because we find dead bodies every day. We have all the information about the specific units of the invaders in our villages. In addition to Russians, there were also Buryats, Chechens…

How did the Russians behave in Makariv itself?

We were able to enter the areas of the city occupied by them only three days ago. As they left, the Russian orcs mined everything there. Therefore, the Armed Forces had to clear the area first. When we got there, we found many dead bodies in the basements. To protect themselves from attacks, the occupiers often threw grenades into these basements. They did not care whether there were civilians, women, children there. Several residents of the municipality also died on the Zhytomyr highway as they tried to escape and were shot. Civilians they spotted during the fighting were also mercilessly shot.

Is it true that the bodies of Olha Sukhenko, Chief of the village of Motyzhyn, and her husband, who were abducted by the Russians on March 23, were recently found in the Makariv municipality with signs of torture?

Yes, it’s all true. Except that there were not two but three Sukhenkos. In addition to Ms Sukhenko and her husband, the Russian orcs shot their adult son. They were all tortured and then killed. I can’t even imagine a monster that could do it to a woman. What could they demand of her?! Ms Sukhenko was the village head of Motyzhyn for two terms and then became its starosta (chief). The whole municipality misses her. She was a wonderful person.

In fact, wherever the Russians came, they behaved like medieval marauders, stealing everything they could. Did they loot your municipality?

Yes, of course. They stole everything that caught their eye. Although it also depended on the specific unit.

Did you manage to create a Territorial Defence unit in Makariv? Did it play a part in defending the city?

Indeed, it played a big part. I believe that if it weren’t for our guys, the Russian orcs would have captured Makariv very quickly. However, people wanted to defend themselves; many would die rather than succumb to the Russians. There is only one issue here: we fought unofficially, even though already in late January, the Makariv City Council initiated the creation of a Territorial Defence unit in accordance with the established procedure. We were the first to do so in the Kyiv region, but the regional administration told us that ‘it’s not the time for this’. On February 24, we no longer cared about official procedures: we simply took up arms and defended our municipality by merging with the city’s security unit. With this detachment, we defended Makariv from the Russian orcs for 32 days with the help of only Molotov cocktails and Kalashnikovs. Dozens of our guys were killed and many were injured, but we held the city. We have now completed all the necessary paperwork, but we are faced with the following problem: the families of our fallen soldiers may not receive any material compensation from the state, and our wounded aren’t officially entitled to it either. And finally, none of us, those who fought street battles with the Russians for a month, are entitled to the status of war veterans. After all, there are no active hostilities in the Makariv region now. The Makariv guys from the security unit, who fought side by side with us, are now setting up bank accounts and receiving all due payments there. After all, they were on duty. And we suddenly turn out to be an illegal armed group. I very much hope that the state will solve this problem, perhaps by making an exception for us. I will fight for this at all levels, and I will not abandon my brothers in arms, whether alive, wounded or dead.

Did the Russians abandon their equipment in the Makariv municipality when they fled? Did they surrender to you?

Yes, several pieces of equipment were left, and we handed them over to the Armed Forces. We did not take any Russians prisoner. In general, we had no contact with them as we were warned that they could contact us under a white flag, ostensibly for talks or even surrender, and then shoot. There were cases like that. I can also say that the Russians did not bury their dead but dragged the bodies to two houses in the village of Andriyivka and burned them together with these houses.

Were there any employees of the Makariv City Council who agreed to collaborate with the enemy?

No, none! Moreover, only my deputy and I remained in the city, and I asked everyone else to evacuate to one city council where they were organised to work remotely. Indeed, there were offers of collaboration; I also received them via text messages. They demanded that I surrender the city ‘in exchange for guarantees of personal safety’. I responded like the border guard from Snake Island to the Russian warship.

Did the Russians withdraw troops from Makariv or were they repelled by our military? How fierce were the battles for the liberation of the city?

The Russian orcs were defeated on the outskirts of Makariv; much of their military equipment was burnt. However, they retreated from the occupied villages themselves.

Has the reconstruction of the Makariv municipality’s infrastructure already begun?

No, because at the moment I do not have special equipment, fuel, lubricants and personnel. In addition, at least electricity, phone signal and the Internet must be restored to begin work. Then we will restore the governance in the municipality in full. At present, we are mainly delivering food and medicines.

When will the residents of the municipality be able to return to their homes?

People call me every day with this question. I answer that women, children and the elderly should not be here now. The Armed Forces have cleared only a few roads and facilities, but there are still many land mines in fields, wooded areas and dirt roads. However, I urge men to come back and help us clean up what the Russian orcs have done. We need to roll up our sleeves and work, and we are very short of manpower right now. All others must wait at least until the restoration of electricity and gas.

 

Are there any plans to rebuild the Makariv municipality yet?

So far, we are only assessing the damages, and there are so many of them that we will need a lot of time to finish this work. However, I have a request to the government that I would like to voice through the Decentralization portal. Before rebuilding infrastructure, private and apartment buildings, it is necessary to develop a special procedure for allocating funds and building materials for such purposes. Because according to the current procedure, we have to start preparing documents in January in order to start construction or repairs in February. If this is the case, we will not be able to restore anything. Bureaucratic procedures for renovating buildings need to be revoked or significantly simplified. If help is provided promptly, we will restore everything very quickly. People are ready for this. They will not abandon Makariv.

 

Video about the liberation of Makariv