“Those who are fighting with volunteer battalions, we question them and then shoot them on the spot. Why should we show any pity to them?” “Questioning, an execution, that’s it. I will hang those fuckers from lampposts!”
He barked commands at his subordinates: “Burn their notebooks! Seize their electronics! Search everything for compromising material and then destroy it! If you find anything, execute them as spies!”
Working in eastern Ukraine has been difficult for all journalists and anger and threats are commonplace. This was the first time, however, that I felt a very real sense of danger. “Don’t think for one minute I will hesitate to have you shot,” he yelled at the pair of us.
