A dairy farmer in Ukraine is praying the country’s armed forces can liberate the Kherson region in the south-west of the country, so he can return to his farm without fear of arrest.
When Russian president Vladimir Putin announced he was annexing four regions of Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – Russian forces quickly moved onto the dairy farm, of which Andrii Pastushenko is a director.
Mr Pastushenko, 39, has actually been working in western Ukraine and knows he cannot return to the farm until the Russians are driven out.
See also: Video of destroyed dairy farm in Ukraine sparks outrage
“The Russians came to the farm and forced my deputy to sign everything over to them,” said Mr Pastushenko.
“They held her captive for 15 days, all the time questioning her about the company, about the farm owners and me.
“They threatened her with her life. It was either co-operate or be killed,” he said.
Mr Pastushenko’s farm is only 20km south of the city of Kherson and has had Russian soldiers staying there in the past.
The dairy farm before the Russian occupation © Andrii Pastushenko
During that time they stole milk and slaughtered animals to cook on a barbecue.
“This time the Russians are not staying in the yard,” said Mr Pastushenko.
“They are too afraid, as we have many employees and there is a high probability that one of them would forward the positions on to our army and they will be attacked.”
Former interpreter
Mr Pastushenko is a former university lecturer who taught German and started working at the farm company, Dnipro, as an interpreter before becoming a director.
He said: “Back in 2008, a few German investors bought the farm out of bankruptcy and I acted as their interpreter. A few months later, I became a director of the farm.”
The farm extends to 1,500ha of arable land, including 500ha of irrigated land, and runs 350 Holstein Friesian cows and 400 offspring.
Mr Pastushenko added: “The Russians want our company to be reregistered and continue to operate. About 95% of the employees stayed on the farm and continue to work. All the animals are there.
“The deputy manager came out of captivity last weekend. She is thankfully unhurt, but they are forcing her to take a Russian passport and she is not allowed to leave the area.
“It is difficult to communicate with the farm staff as they only carry basic cell phones. It’s too dangerous to use a smartphone there right now,” he said.
