"The prisoner swap took two days": Denys "Manho" Chepurko about Mariupol defence, battles and Russian captivity.

Denys "Manho" Chepurko is a soldier of the Azov Regiment, a tank driver. He joined the regiment in 2019; before that, he served in the Armed Forces and the National Guard. Manho participated in the battles near Popasna and Savur Mohyla. After the full-scale invasion, the fighting was for Mariupol and the Azovstal plant. Denys Chepurko was one of the soldiers who stormed a column of Russian military equipment with two tanks. After the Mariupol garrison left the plant's territory, Russia took him prisoner, in Olenivka, where he spent 44 days. Chepurko and 143 other Ukrainian soldiers were exchanged on June 29, 2022.

What was your life like before joining the Azov Regiment?

I was born in the Vinnytsia region and was engaged in car repair. Served in the Armed Forces in a tank brigade, later transferred to the National Guard in the Gostomel Brigade. During the service, I went to Popasna district and Donetsk airport. I had combat experience before the regiment, but I cannot compare it with what happened in Mariupol. In 2017, I began the transfer procedure to Azov, which lasted two years. At first, I served as a grenade launcher assistant, although I was redeployed as a tank specialist. But in 2020, they took me to the tank squadron, where I stayed until the full-scale invasion. 

Why did you choose Azov?

I wanted to serve in a combat-ready unit. Back in Hostomel, I met guys who had also been in Azov and shared their experiences, so I decided to transfer to Azov. The military is adequately trained and taught here, and they explain everything. Despite the lack of tank shells, the regiment conducted the training. At that time, the National Guard of Ukraine only repaired tanks. The military drill bore fruit. One day, we won first place at a tank competition near Avdiivka, among other brigades. There is also a unique atmosphere of brotherhood in Azov: all for one and one for all here, and we are one big family. 

What was the beginning of the full-scale war for you?

On February 20, six tanks and infantry drove towards Mangush (Donetsk region). We were preparing to meet seven ships from the Sea of Azov, and we thought there would be a landing of Russian troops. On the night of February 24, we set off to Melekino (Donetsk region), and at six in the morning, we received information that the war had begun. Then we headed for the Mariupol airport, artillery and infantry also arrived, but soon they left because of the threat of an air strike. 

On February 26, the Russians went from Mangush to Mariupol. Then the first tank battles took place. Several tanks that tried to break into the city got repelled. And on February 28, they worked near the Epicenter store in Mariupol - they hit tanks, KRAZ trucks, and fuel tanks. In half an hour, they managed to destroy a lot of equipment and personnel but retreated due to the work of Russian artillery. I worked on the tank until March 7, and then it got hit; we went to Azovstal, where we stayed until March 20, and after the death of the group commander, 14 tankers became foot soldiers. Until April 20, our group was still fighting in the city, and we received an order to enter the plant. 

Tell us about your experience of fighting at Azovstal.

Two tank crews had to work at Azovstal to defend Shlakova Hora. It was difficult there: we were trying to reach the position almost all day - the shelling was so dense. Finally, the Russians managed to enter Shlakova Hora and take control of the outskirts of the plant. Then one of the commanders of our group was killed - a direct hit. Later, on May 11, I received a shrapnel wound at that position during a mortar attack. Also, a Russian sniper was working on the mountain all the time. There were rumours that one of the plant workers provided the Russians with the plant layout, but I don't believe it. There were Russians above all the time, but they never went into the bunkers. 

How did you get medical aid? 

We could not get to the medical bunker for several hours. There, they amputated my left arm. After the injury, it only hung on the skin for some time. The first three days it was unusual without my arm; I had a high fever all the time. It was terrible in the medical bunker: people were screaming in pain, there were not enough medicines, wounds were festering, and infection was spreading. I tried to endure the pain by leaving painkillers to my comrades, but sometimes in the middle of the night, I called a nurse to give me medicine. In the medical bunker, I learned that the command was negotiating evacuation. It started in three days. The doctors came with a list on the first day and explained where they would send everyone: seriously wounded to Novoazovsk, the rest - to Olenivka. 

Where did they evacuate you? 

I was released on 17 May. At that time, it was still possible to leave with weapons; because our SSU officers were there, I handed over my assault rifle to them. We got on the buses, and an International Committee of the Red Cross employee came up to us and handed out a leaflet, where I had to leave my data and the information about whom I wanted to warn of my capture: the country or my relatives. I chose the country so that my mother should not know about the injury. The Red Cross was in the colony when they brought the first group. They filmed the place of detention: the Russians showed barracks without bars on the windows and sound conditions, but it wasn’t the case. They took me to Olenivka on the first day and conducted searches: they took laces, belts, and ropes from our clothes because they feared we would kill ourselves. The interrogations started immediately: they stripped us naked, checked our belongings, and took away wet wipes and antibiotics given to me by a doctor at Azovstal. The Russians took off the wedding ring of one of the prisoners with pincers (metal tongs - ed.). I was allowed to keep my documents and a cross, which they took away in the end. During the first days of captivity, I saw the regiment commander Denys Prokopenko and talked to him. He asked us not to worry and to go to hospitals because we could be exchanged faster that way. They kept girls under challenging conditions: 12-13 girls lived in a room for four without sanitary items. The food in Olenivka is terrible: the portions are catastrophically small. It seems that dogs get more. 

How were you treated in captivity?

During interrogations, they wanted to know where and when I served, asked about the availability of equipment and the regiment commander, and demanded to give false testimony that the regiment command had ordered to blow up the drama theatre and hospitals in Mariupol. At first, the interrogations were conducted professionally by the FSS. However, the so-called "investigative committees" of the "Donetsk People's Republic" could beat us, strip us naked, and force us to squat and run around the territory. They denied me medical care: a few days after my capture, they to brought me to the hospital to have my arm stitched up, but the doctor said he would not do it. During interrogations, they were looking for the "Azov blocklist", i.e. those who had served in the regiment since 2014. I had to give the names of my comrades who had died. The guards kept threatening to kill me, mainly because I was a tank driver. During interrogations, I told tales about non-working equipment. I realised that they would believe me if I said the same information. 

What do you know about the terrorist attack in Olenivka?

Russians are always shooting from the territory of Olenivka. There are trees behind the fence of the colony and the equipment used at night behind them. And in the morning, they said on the radio that it was allegedly the Ukrainian side shelling the outskirts of Donetsk. In the colony, we could hear Russian planes dropping something on the positions of their own. So they were trying to provoke a strike towards Olenivka to make it look like the Ukrainian military was shelling Ukrainian prisoners. 

The terrorist attack was a way to postpone the exchange. They said the prisoner swaps would be regular, almost every week. We knew that the Main Intelligence Directorate was working: it was forming and submitting lists, but those lists could contain tortured people, so they were trying to hide their crimes by conducting a terrorist attack.

When did they inform about the exchange, and how did it happen?

Before that, they moved the people from the barracks to the colony. Then they told us to gather for the exchange. They did it several times. Finally, they came and took us to Donetsk. The prisoner swap took two days. They decided not to blindfold us, so I kept turning my head and noticing where they kept the equipment. 

How did you feel when you were exchanged?

For three days, I could not believe it. I thought it was a dream that would end, and I would have to endure abuse and beatings again.   

Tell us about your plans for the future.

I want to return to my unit as soon as possible, but I am unsure whether I will be a tank driver again. Recently, I spoke with the acting commander, and he asked me if I wanted to train tankers, but I wanted to go to the front. We must continue to liberate our combat-sworn brothers and avenge the fallen.