“I was afraid that if they killed me first, then who would cook for my father”: the story of the resident of Polissia village, Chernihiv region, about life under the occupation

Інтерв’ю записав та підготував до друку О. Васянович

Abstract

The purpose is to form a source base of oral historical evidence about the peculiarities of the life conditions of the civilian population of Chernihiv region during the full-scale Russia’s war against Ukraine, in Polissia village of Horodnianska territorial community of Chernihiv region. Finding themselves in the rear of the Russian troops, the village inhabitants did not face the cruel treatment of the occupiers, as it was the case in other front-line areas, but they also had to adapt to new living conditions. T

he main method is interviewing based on a questionnaire tested in 2022—2023, which contains questions about the peculiarities of military every - day life and survival strategies of Ukrainians. The proposed interview contains an account of numerous meetings with the occupiers, mutual assistance in the village, psycho-emotional stress and ways to overcome it, etc.

The scientific novelty consists in the introduction into the scientific circulation of oral historical evidence about life in the occupation, siege, and conditions of active hostilities in the Chernihiv region from the end of February to the beginning of April 2022.

Conclusions. The documented materials are an important component of the source base of the modern history of Ukraine during the period of the Russia’s war against Ukraine, in particular, regarding the segment of evidence about the peculiarities of the selforganizing of the population in the conditions of military everyday life.