Following the MIHR`s story, the Ukrainian flag was installed on the grave of a tortured ATO participant from the Mykolaiv region

Recently, the Media Initiative for Human Rights told about the trial of a resident of the village of Kashpero-Mykolaivka in the Mykolaiv region. She is accused of handing over ATO participant Serhii Kuchereshko to the occupiers.

Serhii Kuchereshko was tortured in March 2022 in the village of Novofontanka. His sister, Tetyana, told MIHR that the flag of Ukraine was not installed on his brother’s grave, saying that he did not die at the front.

After the publication, the journalist was contacted by Lyudmyla Nikolayenko, the head of the Kashpero-Mykolaiv community, who promised to fix everything. On August 15, she sent a photo of the newly installed flagpole. She says she ordered it herself and put it up with her husband.

Photo courtesy of Lyudmyla Nikolaienko

Serhii Kuchereshko’s sister Tetyana called and told us:

― “I come to the grave not only on memorial days but also whenever I feel like it. It’s good that Serhii is remembered. People who knew him or served with him came here with flowers. The cemetery is clean, everything is beautiful. It’s hard to talk without crying. The fact that he is not forgotten is good. I think he died like a warrior.

Serhii Kuchereshko lived in the village of Novofontanka. In 2014, he served in the ATO zone. He came back home, cultivated the land, and looked after the apiary. On March 8, 2022, he was tortured by the Russian military. The 205th Separate Motorized Rifle Cossack Brigade of the Russian Federation was based there at the time.

The investigation has not yet identified the Russians involved in this crime. A resident of a neighboring village was charged for allegedly turning in an ATO participant for rations and alcohol. However, not everyone in the village believes in her guilt.

Anastasia Zubova, MIHR journalist