“I don’t deserve to be here at all” is a declaration that you might anticipate hearing from someone incarcerated. However, as she sits in her maroon overalls, Tetyana Potapenko is resolute in her belief that she is not the person the Ukrainian government claims she is. After serving one year of a five-year sentence, she is among 62 convicted collaborators in this prison, segregated from other inmates. The facility is located near Dnipro, approximately 300km (186 miles) from Tetyana’s hometown of Lyman. Occupied by Russia for six months and liberated in 2022, Lyman is close to the front lines of the Donbas conflict.
As we converse in the pink-walled room designated for inmates to make phone calls, Tetyana recounts her 15 years of volunteer work in the neighborhood, collaborating with local authorities. However, continuing these efforts during the Russian occupation resulted in severe consequences for her. Ukrainian prosecutors accused her of illegally assuming an official role with the occupiers, including distributing relief supplies. Despite her altruistic intentions to assist those in need, she found herself entangled in a legal battle.
Tetyana adamantly denies any wrongdoing and questions the validity of her imprisonment. She insists that she never worked for the Russians and only sought to aid her community during a time of crisis. The legislation criminalizing collaboration with the invaders was swiftly enacted to deter sympathizers and co-operators during the conflict. Yet, critics argue that the laws are overly broad and fail to consider the complexities of living and working under occupation.
The narrative shifts to Tetyana’s hometown, where her absence has taken a toll on her husband and disabled son. The ravages of war are evident in the town’s scarred landscape, a stark reminder of the conflict’s impact on civilian life. As we witness the devastation wrought by the war, the story delves into the darker aspects of collaboration, highlighting the deadly consequences of betrayal.
The account of collaborators like Tetyana and Dmytro underscores the complexities of survival under occupation and the blurred lines between cooperation and coercion. The UN has criticized the broad application of collaboration laws in Ukraine, pointing out instances where individuals acted out of necessity rather than malice. The struggle for justice and accountability in a war-torn region is a recurring theme, as individuals like Tetyana navigate the tenuous line between survival and criminality in a conflict-ridden landscape.