Ildikó Eperjesi, Oleksandr Kachura

After their Shreds of War: Fates from the Donbas Frontline 2015–2019, Eperjesi and Kachura uncover in this second volume effects of the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. Oleksandr managed to visit the peninsula not long after its occupation by Russian troops. While doing interviews with local people, he was threatened by the authorities yet managed to escape with his exclusive stories of teachers and students, pensioners, children and their parents, market vendors and businessmen, homeless people, health care employees and their patients, the so called “cotton wool people,” and Ukrainian patriots. Many of them told him about how hopeful they were in early 2014, and how disappointed they have become as their expectations were not met by the “Russian world.” This concerns the banking system of Crimea, propaganda and censorship of the Russian state, and failed tourist seasons. People still living or somehow related to Crimea tell us about the dramatic days of the illegal annexation. They explain what led to the tragedy and what mistakes were made by the Ukrainian authorities. Ordinary people, soldiers, journalists, heroes and traitors, emigrants, Crimean Tatars, Russian soldiers, Cossacks and the members of the so called “Crimean Self-Defense” disclose how they contributed to the historic events on the peninsula. Finally, the famous Crimean film director Oleh Sentsov shares with us how he managed to survive his illegal imprisonment by Russia and what impact it has had on his life.

Ildiko Eperjesi studied Hungarian, English, American Studies, Russian and Applied Linguistics at the universities of Budapest, Miskolc, and Pécs. Since 2003 she is producer of the Foreign Desk of the television channel ATV in Budapest.

Oleksandr Kachura studied History and Ukrainian Language at Donetsk National University. Since 2014, he works as war correspondent in Kramatorsk. Kachura is Member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.