bars</tle><g id="el_oZ84Hna1GC_65hRV2Qwn" class="css-1fxvzwo" data-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="0"><g id="el_oZ84Hna1GC_ILVvi2tqx" class="css-1wnday1" ata-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="2"><g id="el_oZ84Hna1GC"><rect x="34" width="6" height="36" id="el_qw_T_tngXw"></rect></g></g></g><g id="el_mYVjkduhMU_p_9Pm85Ac" class="css-fwki7z" data-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="0"><g id="el_mYVjkduhMU_WxG3R40yd" class="css-t3i5e6" data-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="2"><g id="el_mYVjkduhMU"><rect x="22.67" width="6" height="36" id="el_lf9GrROk6j"></rect></g></g></g><g id="el_o-EuxhgoAw_kYNRGDfcw" class="css-t9te0w" data-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="0"><g id="el_o-EuxhgoAw_3c3bzSjOJ" class="css-1r5375t" ata-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="2"><g id="el_o-EuxhgoAw"><rect x="11.33" width="6" height="36" id="el_-iueO8klO0"></rect></g></g></g><g id="el_F7mSMPhqpC_y_fKcpSxn" class="css-qknaag" data-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="0"><g id="el_F7mSMPhqpC_R6bNB6_Ys" class="css-1vd04" ata-animator-group="te" data-animator-type="2"><g id="el_F7mSMPhqpC"><rect width="6" height="36" id="el_dS5TKNZZ5w"></rect></g></g></g></svg></div><div><div class="css-1t7yl1y">0:00<!-- -->/<!-- -->39:27</div><div class="css-og85jy">-<!-- -->39:27</div></div></div></div></hear><div class="css-uzyn7p"><div class="css-1vxyw"><p class="css-1nng8z9">transcript</p><h2 class="css-9wqu2x">In Rsia, Gay People Are Routely Targeted. That’s Why This Ukraian Soldier Is Fightg.</h2><h4 class="css-qsd3hm">When Put vad, Oleksandr Zhuhan chose to fend a untry that hasn’t always fend him.</h4><time dateTime="2022-07-07T09:00:08.000Z" class="css-1e605">2022-07-07T05:00:08-04:00</time></div><dl class="css-p98d0w"><dt class="css-xx7kwh">lulu garcia-navarro</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">From The earlit days of the war Ukrae, we’ve seen the imag of everyday Ukraians signg up to fend their untry agast the Rsian vasn leavg behd the liv they’d been livg jt days before. Wars n be ung that way wh cizens g together agast a shared enemy, puttg their differenc asi. Oleksandr Zhuhan, Sashko for short, was one of those who joed Ukrae’s volunteer forc. He’s gay, and for him, Put’s Rsia held particular terror. Gay people are routely targeted their, arrted whout e, even tortured. And among the reasons Put gave for vadg Ukrae, he said the untry had embraced valu, quote, “ntrary to human nature.”</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">But Sashko had also experienced homophobia wh Ukrae the years leadg up to the war. So when he started talkg to my lleague, Courtney Ste the early days of the fightg, he was facg dual fears a future unr Rsia, but also how he might be treated by the soldiers he was servg alongsi. From “New York Tim Opn,” this is “First Person.” I’m Lulu Garcia-Navarro. Today, Sashko and the fight for his future Ukrae.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Hi, Courtney. Today is lmer than was yterday, but still ’s not safe here. Anyway —</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">When we first started talkg, Sashko was too by to get on the phone.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN We hear bumpg sounds like every 15 mut or every half an hour.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">He was jt a uple of days to his enlistment, and the were the early days of the war when Rsia was shellg Kyiv. His un was statned what had been a mall there.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN And we are sleepg now next to the wdow shop. It looks somehow surrealistic bee we see that betiful cloth and we are wearg the same cloth that we me here .</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">So I asked him to send me voice memos whenever he had a ee mute. And what most me through was jt how disorientg this all was for him.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">I haven’t — I hadn’t held a gun my life until the 24th of Febary. I skipped all the lsons of —</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">In Ukrae, boys learn how to shoot guns school. But Sashko never wanted any part of that sort of thg. He’d never imaged fightg a war, even up to the moment he enlisted alongsi the partner he lls his hband, though they n’t be legally married.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">We didn’t thk that we would be given guns. We thought that we would do somethg like, I don’t know, okg or cleang or rryg heavy thgs, somethg like that. My hband is a director, and I am an actor and a director and a playwright. We are very stereotypilly gay, if I n put this way, like we are a gay uple who are vegans and we are very anti, I don’t know, war.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Or at least they had been, then Rsia vad. Sashko and Antona spent the night of the vasn hidg their bathroom, weighg whether to enlist.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">For both of , was a very difficult cisn bee we ed to avoid plac where there are lots of manly men, like stereotypilly heterosexual men who want to fight. And we have met vlence agast gay people before and was difficult.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">But the day after Rsia vad when beme clear jt how ser the suatn was, both Sashko and Antona signed up. They weren’t tellg anyone they were together though.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">There was a suatn when a man om our un me up to and asked, so are you brothers or iends? And sce he only gave like two optns, I said iends very quickly. But then I was sorry and I kept thkg to myself, what would have happened if I had said we are hband and hband? What would have changed? I’m not sure.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">In Ukrae, boys learned how to shoot guns school. But Sashko never wanted any part of that sort of thg he’d never imaged fightg a war, even up to the moment he enlisted alongsi the partner he lls his hband, though they n’t be legally married.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">So I grew up a small town the Central Ukrae. When I was born, was still the Soviet Unn.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">As a kid, Sashko spoke Rsian school. Then 1991 when he was seven, Ukrae clared s pennce. But wasn’t a big patrtic moment Sashko’s memory. What he remembers is the enomic llapse that followed.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">People had to survive and they did different thgs, like some people stole, some people — I don’t the word for that. They did very bad thgs to survive and to get some food for their children.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Sashko and his parents lived an apartment block wh a shared urtyard.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">All the kids knew one another om the moment they were born. And I knew that there were some boys that my mom said, you mtn’t be iends wh those boys bee they smoke and their parents are not a very good fay. Some of them smoked cigarett begng at the age of five I suppose.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">What?</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Yeah. Yeah. That’s te.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Sashko wasn’t that kd of kid though. He was a le follower.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">I was really very out of touch wh the realy I thk. I mean, I didn’t know much about sexualy, about homosexualy, or anythg like this. I really like to draw, and I drew thgs like every day. I had albums. Do you do you say album or notebooks?</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Notebooks.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Filled wh sketch. Yeah. And I had a secret notebook where I drew all like naked, people naked men. And I was about, I don’t know, 10 or 11 years old. And my mom found and she said, oh my god, what was that? I was so ashamed. And she said that was really a bad thg.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">That was the msage Sashko got om basilly everyone growg up.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Homosexualy was somethg that you should be ashamed of. And was somethg that people prison, you know, prisoners ed to punish other prisoners. Do make sense what I’m sayg?</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">So wasn’t like that people were actually gay. It was jt a punishment.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Yeah. Yeah. Or whenever you heard the word homosexualy, was nsired some of the world’s biggt threats, you know, like homosexualy atomic war.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">And given that, when he left his hometown and went to Kyiv for llege, he stayed the closet. But his send year, he fell love wh his roommate who was straight.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">One day I jt cid that, oh my god, if he don’t love me then I have no more reason to live. I know now that was very stupid, but I was 16. So I got all the dgs that I had, I mix them wh alhol and I drank them all. And at first, I fated, but then my iends found me and they lled the ambulance.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">He end up the hospal. They lled his mom to take him home.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">And of urse, she started askg qutns, and I had to tell her.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">How did she rpond?</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">She said, ’s OK, I love you. Maybe one day you’ll meet a woman and you’ll have children and I’ll pray for you. Let’s pray together. And I said, oh my god, mom, don’t. Please, I — and that was like send g out. I said, I don’t believe God. I’m an atheist. Yeah. And then some years later, I’m a vegan. And you know, like was a bgo, gay vegan atheist. No more hope for mom.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Which one was harst for her, the atheist, the veganism, or the beg gay?</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">I don’t thk that she accepted anythg, any of the.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">When he fished llege, Sashko stayed Kyiv. He met some other gay people, but he said was still too early to ll a muny. He started datg, but didn’t always go well.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">One of them was a crimal, so that was that bad. Yeah. And so I embraced that some people fd their partners life and some people don’t. Some people die lonely. And stopped srg me bee before that, I thought that was one of my biggt prri, you know, to fd a partner, to make fay, and so on.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Then 2014, Sashko got a msage on a datg se.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">And at that stage, I met Antona. I looked through his profile and I found out that he was to theater and that he was a refugee om Crimea. And that looked tertg.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Antona recently began intifyg as non-bary and g she and her pronouns. But Sashko still go back and forth.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">He or she, yeah, I’m still nfg the thgs. We arranged a meetg. It wasn’t a date. It was a meetg.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">They nnected at a big moment Ukrae, the moment a lot of Ukraians say was the actual begng of this war. The Ukraian print at the time, who Put supported, had jt fled to Rsia after months of protts forced him om office. Wh days, Rsian troops moved to occupy Crimea. And like a lot of L.G.B.T.Q. people there, Antona fled and end up Kyiv.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">We met on the bridge which is non-existent now. And we spend the night like talkg and drkg ffee, talkg about children, about theater and all kds of thgs. And was like, I don’t know how many hours. And that’s how we met. I thk that talkg to him and spendg evengs and nights talkg about what’s right and what’s wrong ma me the person I am today.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Not long after they met, Sashko says he and Antona cid to stop speakg Rsian. And they helped create a theater group that performed piec llg out Rsian aggrsn Crimea and homophobia wh Rsian culture. Outsi the theater, they were also llg on Ukrae to regnize L.G.B.T.Q. rights and takg part some of the earlit Pri celebratns.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">I thk was 2015, the biggt slogan of this Pri was that we exist. And there were like ls than 50 people and lots and lots and lots of the police.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Sce then, Pri Kyiv has grown. In recent years, the para has attracted thoands of people, part of a broar liberalizatn, pecially among young people the ci. But wh that liberalizatn, there’s also been a backlash. Sashko told me about a night last November when he and Antona were approached by two men the street.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">First they me up to , and Antona was wearg a ty —</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">what’s this thg lled that’s not a stripe but ribbon? Oh, I fot the word.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Rabow?</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Rabow. Y, rabow ribbon. Thanks. And I felt this danger right away the way they looked at . And they were like about 50 meters away, and the street was empty. And one of them started followg . And they started talkg to a very manner like, hey, are you fags? What are you wearg? Do you believe God? Are you patrts? And they started phg and so on. And that was the first time when all I am like anti-vlent person. If there is a chance for the words to work out, I ually e the words.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">But then, one of the guys phed Antona to the ground.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">And I was like off. I went bananas. And I was so mad that I felt I uld tear those men wh my bare hands bee I was like, I don’t know where I got the strength. But was like the first, maybe the send time my life when I got to h a person right the face. And I felt so, I don’t know, empowered. That was the word. Like I h back, and they didn’t expect . Like, they thought that they were like no attackg to fags who uldn’t h back.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">The attack was still h Sashko’s md when Rsian forc vad Ukrae jt a few months later. It was all part of what was weighg on him and Antona that night they spent huddled their bathroom nsirg their optns.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">I fely had doubts like, I was not aaid to go and fight, but I was really — I felt a great anxiety if I would f . And beg gay was part of thgs that gave me that anxiety. But on the send day when Rsia went full sle and when we unrstood that was not a joke, ’s gog to be for a long time, we uldn’t make any other choice really. What mattered was to protect our untry.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">So that’s how Sashko and Antona me to enlist this war, fightg to protect a untry that hadn’t always protected them alongsi soldiers who peacetime might have been their enemi.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">oleksandr zhuhan</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">I’m not nsirg the optn of losg my eedom, bee for an L.G.B.T.Q. person to lose eedom, to get ptured by the Rsians is worse than ath, so I’ll be fightg until I w or I die.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Hi, Courtney. It’s the eighth of March, Tuday. So I’m gog to go on scribg what life has bee for me sce the war started.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Not long after he enlisted, Sashko sent me this voice memo.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN It’s been 13 days sce Rsia attacked Ukrae for no reason. I’m sick now, and almost everyone our un is eher sick or gettg better.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">And ’s bee ’s always ld here. We’re sleepg on the floor now sleepg bags. But I’m not plag, ’s jt that you ask me to scribe what is like here. I go patrollg three tim a day.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">On the patrols, Sashko and Antona were often together but still keepg their relatnship a secret.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN The manr is very loyal. Well, he don’t know or he don’t want to know that we are a gay uple. We don’t touch or we don’t hold hands, we don’t hug each other. And the riskit thg that my hband has done sce the first day he kissed me on the forehead when I said that I probably had temperature. And he prsed his lips agast my forehead like jt to check if I had temperature. But was a kiss, I knew .</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">He’s the one person who n —</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">I don’t know, who n lm me down and ask if I’m OK.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Hello, Sashko? OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Courtney, n you hear me now?</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">I n hear you. Can you hear me?</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Oh, that’s perfect. Yeah.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">As wter turned to sprg, Rsia ntued to foc a lot of s air power on Kyiv. At this pot, the volunteer forc were largely playg a support role away om the fightg. So Sashko and Antona weren’t seeg active bat, but the war was all around them.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">How are you?</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Well, ’s been tough time. Tonight, there were like three regns where the bombs fell, and one of them was right next to , next to our base. But ’s OK. We’re alive and more or ls healthy. In 15 mut, I’ll have to go to unpack the big rs wh provisns and ammunn. So that’s our job. That’s the riskit thg I’ve done so far. We’re jt fendg the base. And how are you feelg about that beg your role right now?</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN I’m OK. Well, on the first day when we me here, lots of guys, they were like, wow, I want to go and fight and so on. And I was like, I’m pretty much OK wh the thgs as they are now. And the terrible thg is that we are gettg ed to this state of thgs. And I don’t want this to be my ual state.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">The day before yterday, we went to the place where we learn to shoot guns. We have Kalashnikovs, and I was thkg about my old sewg mache bee I work the theater so I n saw stum for a theater place. And I was thkg about, well, I ed to hate to oil my sewg mache, but I would love to do now stead of oilg my gun. So was like, you know, those flashbacks about what life ed to be.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Hi, Courtney. It’s been a month and two days sce the begng of the war, and I have been thkg a lot about one hell of a time, which happened not so often bee we are eher too by or too exhsted to thk.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">There are thgs that prs me, but there are good thgs though.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">For example, some people om our un, they add as iends on Facebook. And one of them me up to me the other day and he said, I read your post on Facebook. And he said, I didn’t put a like below this post, but I really want to say that I thk ’s a great post and I liked .</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">In the post, Sashko talked about the siari between the fight for L.G.B.T.Q. rights and Ukraian pennce. He said that where Rsia was driven by fear and hate, he hoped Ukrae would follow a different path after the war, a path of tolerance and acceptance.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN So was a good thg, and that really ma my day.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">For the next few weeks, Sashko’s un stayed the same warehoe Kyiv, protectg ammunn and ruppli for the regular army troops that were phg the Rsians back other parts of the cy. Then April, Ukraian forc retook the suburbs, plac like Bucha, where hundreds of civilians were tortured and killed. Sashko msaged that he and Antona had been moved and were now dog a different job but still maly on guard duty. A few days later, we got on the phone.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Hi, Courtney.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">antona ramanova</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">Hello, Courtney.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">And I got to hear Antona for the first time.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Yeah, Courtney, the thg is, Antona speaks very ltle English.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">antona ramanova</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">My English is not very good.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">urtney ste</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">So Antona jt listened while Sashko and I talked. Sashko said that now he assumed people their un unrstood that he and Antona were a uple, but they still weren’t publicly acknowledgg their relatnship.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN But sometim we like, I don’t know, touch fgers or — well, that’s mostly . We touch fgers. That’s .</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">I saw on your Facebook pag that you have rated your guns wh stickers. OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Yeah.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">It feels like a small act of ristance.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Yeah. And our guns really stand out om the other guns.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Can you scribe them? OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Y. So like there’s a rabow and a unirn and a peapple.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Do other people rate their guns or is jt you guys?</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN No, not really. We are the only on wh the stickers. Now, I saw one more person wh a sticker, but was like a sticker of a skull. And we have those optimistic, cute stickers.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">And has your manr, anyone ever mentned like as a secury ncern or qutn you about ? OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Yeah, yeah, yeah. One person me up to me like two days ago and said, that sticker has lots of whe and ’s gog to be a problem if we fight the darkns like uld be seen om afar. And I said, OK, so when we fight the darkns, I’ll take off.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">At the end of April, Put clared victory Mariupol, and Rsian troops ntued to ph to Eastern and Southern Ukrae where hundreds of Ukraian troops were dyg every day. Sashko sent me a text msage. Their un had been given a choice, they uld pack up and go volunteer Kyiv as civilians or they uld help bolster the ary’s ranks and jo another battaln and be sent to the ont l the south.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">This time, the cisn wasn’t so clear. Sashko thought that he uld be more eful as a volunteer. But for Antona, returng to Kyiv was out of the qutn. Sashko wrote me that Antona was tent on gog wh or whout him. So he cid he was gog too. But they weren’t sent right away.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN We’re wag here for the transfer.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Weeks passed. Then at the end of May, Sashko got back touch.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Hi, Courtney. Sorry for not rpondg to you right away.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Thgs had been by, he said.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN And on Wednday, that’s tomorrow, we are gog to Mykolaiv. Mykolaiv is a cy the south of Ukrae. It’s close to Ossa.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Mykolaiv, Sashko explaed, was part of the New ontle the war. Like Mariupol to the east, the Rsians had managed to cut off water to Mykolaiv, forcg many of the cy’s half a ln rints to flee.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Before leavg for the south, Sashko and Antona were sent home to Kyiv for a few days. Their apartment hadn’t been damaged the shellg. And for the first time the three months sce they signed up for the terrorial fense, they were able to sleep their own bed. And wh the Rsians no longer anywhere near the cy, f and shops were open aga.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN We were walkg around the cy, and I felt like I was walkg next to a fish tank lookg at people who are havg their latt. And the war seemed very real, but this life Kyiv, the peaceful life seemed like somethg impossible. And I uld physilly feel . I felt weak at my kne, and I had a strange feelg my stomach and everythg seemed so unstable.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">And I jt n’t pull myself together. Everythg feels like a very bad, meangls movie whout the end. And the worst thg, the thg that I’m aaid most is that the war is gog to be for like two, three, five, eight years more.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Sashko and Antona met up wh a iend om the theater world while Kyiv. But Sashko uld only thk about war. He no longer related to his past life, and he was distracted by his upg ployment.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN And the thg that I’m worried about is that the new battaln, maybe there will be like real army people wh strong hierarchy. I have an ia that Mykolaiv that new battaln, I’m gog to be more open about my sexualy. Like I’m not gog to wa if anyone asks or I’m not gog to let them be gusg.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">A few days later, I heard om Sashko aga. They had ma to Mykolaiv.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Hey there, Courtney. Hope you’re hearg me OK.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">They’d begun diggg trench anticipatn of a new Rsian offensive.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN And today when we met our manr, and he was like gettg acquated, speakg to , givg his speech, he said, I’ve had gay guys my un before and was no problem wh them. So if I see or hear any s of homophobia, this un is not a place for homophobia. Is that clear? And we are not gog to talk about that aga.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">He said, I don’t re who you are or what you do until you break the l. So if you’re a good fighter, then I’m OK wh you.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Rsian troops were sendg a near-nstant stream of bombs and missil toward Mykolaiv. Huge swath of the cy had been burned to the ground or pletely stroyed. But on one quiet eveng, I was able to talk to Sashko by phone. And I asked him to tell me more about what happened wh his manr.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN He said, I know that there are guys our un who are gay. Like, he jt looked at me and I raised my hand like, here I am, hello.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">He ma the thgs clear, you see.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">And how did the other people the un rpond?</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN They were like, OK. Yeah. They didn’t say much. I mean, the way they talk, they are not like some narrow-md, homophobic savag. What I expected bee I expected the worst. Army is still a world of manly men, but we are not — I mean, I don’t feel threatened physilly and I feel much more nfint now. I really feel like here I jt have to be like a good soldier. And that’s like some guarantee that at least the manrs will protect me if anythg happens. But I’m sure that nothg bad will happen.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">A few weeks later, I got this msage om Sashko. OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Hey, Courtney. Sorry for takg so long to rpond to your msage. Here’s jt another piece of rmatn, which I thk is important to see a bigger picture of what’s happeng here Ukrae. So yterday I thk, that was yterday, L.G.B.T.Q. person was beaten.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">And that happened when the guy was gog to give an terview about his boyiend who had died this Rsian-Ukraian war. And at that time, a group of young men me up to him and they attacked him. And they started shoutg homophobic thgs and they beat him.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">I don’t know what to add.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Over many months of nversatn, Sashko and I had talked a lot about his hop for the future and for the future of Ukrae. So many of them revolved around his uncertaty of what versn of the untry would greet him and Antona if and when the war fally end. But one time, I’d gotten a different answer.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Do you thk about the future?</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">OLEKSANDR ZHUHAN Yeah, I sometim stop and thk about the future. And I’m tryg not to make some great plans like, oh, I’m gog to wre a play about this war or I’m gog to, I don’t know, to wre a song. Jt very, very small thgs, down to earth thgs. Like my mom, she liv the Central Ukrae.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">And they bought a hoe the village. And they went there yterday for the first time. And she sent me a vio and she said, we’re wag for you and Antona to e and live there and repair bee the hoe is very old. And there’s a garn wh u tre. And I was, oh my God, yeah. I’d really love to do that, mom.</p></dd><dt class="css-xx7kwh">lulu garcia-navarro</dt><dd class="css-4gvq6l"><p class="css-8hvvyd">“First Person” is a productn of New York Tim Opn. We’ll be back next Thursday wh a new episo. Today’s episo was produced by Courtney Ste. It was eded by Stephanie Joyce and Lisa Tob wh help om Kaari Pk. Engeerg by Isaac Jon. Origal mic by Isaac Jon, Pat McCker and Carole Sabourd.</p><p class="css-8hvvyd">Fact-checkg by Mary Marge Locker. The rt of the first person team clus Cristal Duhaime, Christa Djossa, Olivia Natt, Derek Arthur and Jason Pagano. Special thanks to Krista Samulewski, Shannon Bta, Kate Sclair, Jefey Miranda, Pla Szuchman, Irene Noguchi, Patrick Healy and Katie Kgsbury.</p></dd></dl></div></div></div></div><div style="posn:absolute;width:0;height:0;visibily:hidn;display:none"></div><hear class="css-1vwfk9f" data-breakpot=""><div style="width:100%" data-ttid="flt-layout"><div style="background-image:url()" class="css-18qqsen e1llfg0"><div class="css-1hmsypo e1llfg2"><div class="css-131hid3 e1llfg3"><div class="css-1uhi299 e1llfg1"></div><div class="css-1tloyb6"><div class="css-1kltdsh ehra6vc0"><a href=" class="css-2ne0py"><span class="css-1f76qa2"><img alt="First Person logo" src="><span>First Person</span></span></a></div></div><div class="css-1r0dpua e1llfg4"><div class="css-1gu519p edye5kn0"><div><h1 class="css-1xbyom1 edye5kn2">In Rsia, Gay People Are Routely Targeted. That’s Why This Ukraian Soldier Is Fightg.</h1><h2 class="css-rlih edye5kn3">When Put vad, Oleksandr Zhuhan chose to fend a untry that hasn’t always fend him.</h2></div><span class="css-lsnb14 edye5kn4"></span><button type="button" class="css-w62hzm" aria-haspopup="te" aria-label="Show Aud Transcript"><div class="css-1vd84sn"><svg xmlns=" width="24" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 20" fill="#F8F8F8"><path fill-le="evenodd" clip-le="evenodd" d="M0 0H24V20H0V0ZM3 7H21V9H3V7ZM21 11H3V13H21V11ZM3 15H21V17H3V15ZM11 3H3V5H11V3Z" fill="#F8F8F8"></path></svg><span class="css-16bt4xd">Transcript</span></div></button></div><div class="css-1g7y0i5 e1drnplw0"><button tabx="100" class="css-1rtlxy" type="button" aria-label="close"><svg width="60" height="60" viewBox="0 0 60 60" fill="none"><circle cx="30" cy="30" r="30" fill="whe" fill-opacy="0.9"></circle><path fill-le="evenodd" clip-le="evenodd" d="M38.4844 20.1006L39.8986 21.5148L21.5138 39.8996L20.0996 38.4854L38.4844 20.1006Z" fill="black"></path><path fill-le="evenodd" clip-le="evenodd" d="M21.5156 20.1006L20.1014 21.5148L38.4862 39.8996L39.9004 38.4854L21.5156 20.1006Z" fill="black"></path></svg></button><div class="css-rdbib0 e1drnplw1"></div><div class="css-18ow4sz e1drnplw2"><div aria-labelledby="modal-tle" role="regn"><hear class="css-1bzlfz"><div class="css-mln36k" id="modal-tle">transcript</div><button type="button" class="css-1igvuto"><div class="css-f40pzg"></div><span>Back to First Person</span></button><div class="css-f6lhej" data-ttid="transcript-playback-ntrols"><div class="css-1ialerq"><button tabx="99" type="button" class="css-1t9gw" aria-label="play"><svg xmlns=" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none"><path fill-le="evenodd" clip-le="evenodd" d="M8 13.7683V6L14.5 9.88415L8 13.7683Z" fill="var(--lor-ntent-sendary,#363636)"></path><circle cx="10" cy="10" r="9.25" stroke="var(--lor-stroke-primary,#121212)" stroke-width="1.5"></circle></svg></button><div class="css-1701swk"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 40 36" id="el_0kpS9qL_S"><tle>bars

russian soldiers gay

Viktor Pylypenko has bee a role mol for dozens of LGBT+ Ukraian war veterans and their supporters sce he anised their participatn two years ago Kyiv's largt ever gay pri march.

Contents:

THE FILM PUT DON’T WANT THE WORLD TO SEE: FIREBIRD, A GAY LOVE STORY ABOUT FIGHTER PILOTS

Legislatn beg phed by the Kreml and the Rsian Orthodox Church would clu a ban on holdg public events (such as the one pictured) that promote gay rights. * russian soldiers gay *

“Beg gay was a crimal offence. ” Rebane knew he was gay at the age of ne. ”Remarkably for a film wh such overtly gay ntent, several exterr scen were filmed Mosw.

“After that, ” adds Prr, “there was a plat about beg ‘homosexual propaganda’. Invadg Rsian soldiers have been acced of targeted anti-gay attacks agast Ukraians, cludg sexual vlence, rape, imprisonment, asslt, theft and attempted murr, openDemocracy n the war began, Ukraian LGBT human rights anisatn Nash Sv (Our World) has been speakg to victims to document the human rights vlatns by Rsian the ten s intified by Nash Sv, and exclively shared wh openDemocracy, eight are believed to have occurred the Kherson regn, which was the only regnal pal ptured by Rsian forc.

RSIAN SOLDIERS ACCED OF TARGETED ANTI-GAY ATTACKS UKRAE

Guil are beg issued to the Rsian army to check soldiers for timate tattoos, but a ary source ni gay men are beg targeted. * russian soldiers gay *

But when soldiers went through msag on Alexanr’s phone, they realised he was gay. After fdg a gay porn vio on Ilya's phone, the soldiers began punchg both men, leavg visible bis on their hands and shoulrs. Homophobic sults were also levelled at the pair, wh the soldiers askg: "Are you a uple?

Gays or real men?

As they drove away, the soldiers shot at them, wh bullets beg left the had not known Ilya was gay before the solirs outed him, and he reacted badly. ” The suatn lated quickly, wh the ary occupiers threateng to rape Volodymyr to teach him a lson, as well as threateng to hand him over to the Chechens, an apparent reference to the anti-gay laws of the Chechen men began to forcibly undrs Volodymyr, but another Rsian patrol group passg by tervened. Dutch MPs have lled for a special tribunal for Put and his associat The have been prev allegatns of the Rsian state and s actors targetg people on the basis of their sexual orientatn, such as the reported anti-gay purg  the Chechen Republic, a part of the Rsian Feratn, 2017.

'GAY TATTOO' CHECK FOR RSIAN ARY RECS KREML'S LATT CLAMPDOWN ON HOMOSEXUALY

A Council of Europe report to anti-LGBTIQ crim scribed the state-sponsored attacks the regn as “the sgle most egreg example of vlence agast LGBTIQ people Europe that has occurred s” suatn for members of the LGBTIQ muny livg Rsia shows ltle sign of improvg, wh a so-lled ban on “gay propaganda” beg extend to all adults, buildg on a 2013 law that mak sharg rmatn about beg LGBT to children a crimal offence. Before "don't ask, don't tell" was officially repealed for gay, lbian, and bisexual ary personnel 2011, a photo of a male Mare drag uld have land him hot water. "Lbian, gay, and bisexual ary personnel had been servg our untry for s whout receivg equal protectn, while transgenr troops are still prohibed om servg openly.

"As a gay man, I n relate to what is still the opprsive stigma of homosexualy. Wh a day of s publitn, the Natnal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced would open an vtigatn to “this ugly se” prsure om the regnal ernor, the rector of the Ulyanovsk Instute of Civil Aviatn, Sergei Krasnov, likened the ts’ suatn to Psy such an “unfivable” disgrace to veterans, he said, they uld be expelled, perhaps, even, tried unr Rsia’s ntroversial anti-homosexual laws.

As an unspectg dience looked on, the men hoisted a shirtls lleague above their heads, placed a ncrete block on his stomach that suggted gay people should be killed, and proceed to smash the symbolic object wh what appeared to be a sledgehammer.

GAY WAR VETERAN SPEAKS OUT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS UKRAE'S ARY

Not the head of the paratrooper club, who, judgg by his remarks afterward, saw nothg wrong wh the homophobic display. They jt don't like" gay people, Andrei Palachev later was quoted as tellg reporters, g an offensive slur for gays.

Homophobia, Intolerance On The Rise? The performance Yaroslavl is jt the latt example of risg homophobia and tolerance toward mory groups Rsia, a trend that appears to be worseng part bee of seemg official difference to such displays.

Homosexualy was crimalized Rsia the 1990s, but LGBT people have faced varyg gre of discrimatn over the years. Rights fenrs say bias has been enuraged by a law targetg "gay propaganda, " which Print Vladimir Put signed 2013.

IN RSIA, GAY PEOPLE ARE ROUTELY TARGETED. THAT’S WHY THIS UKRAIAN SOLDIER IS FIGHTG.

Sce then, LGBT-rights mpaigners and hate-crime rearchers have reported a notable uptick vlence and harassment agast gays and lbians, often om nservative activists or those pog Orthodox Christian beliefs. But the cha later pulled the ad after beg attacked by nservative activists, some of whom ced the "gay propaganda" law.

" VkVill was then lambasted by some clients for pullg and apologizg the fact of prsure om homophob. Back 2019, a list circulated on Rsian webs and social media featurg dozens of nam: gays, lbians, activists, and supporters of LGBT , even journalists. In the North Cs, the Rsian LGBT Network -- Rsia's largt gay and lbian support group -- said on Augt 25 that a Daghtani native had been abducted earlier this year Mosw and forcibly brought to Chechnya, where thori prsed him for rmatn on gay people the regn.

Conscripts and ntract soldiers to be given a thorough examatn Special attentn to tattoos near the face, sexual ans and buttocks But many officers have already rejected the 'impractil' guil Com amid recent backlash agast homosexualy and Wtern valuAlmost a third of Rsians thk homosexualy is rult of 'a sickns' Published: 13:48 BST, 24 January 2013 | Updated: 15:19 BST, 24 January 2013 Rsian ary recs are to be checked for certa typ of tattoo which thori believe uld reveal signs of homosexualy unr new technil guil issued om the Kreml. Tattoo checks: Recs jog the Rsian ary are to be examed for any timate tattoos which uld reveal homosexualy unr new guil issued by the Kreml Checkups: Recs show doctors their tongu, durg a medil examatn the Siberian cy of Kemerovo The text reads: 'The reason for gettg tattoos uld dite a low cultural or tnal level. Kreml: Many wh the Rsian ernment are agast the promotn of homosexualy and wtern valu Officers are advised to chat wh nscripts about their sexual experience and nduct.

THE GAY UKRAIANS 'HUNTED' BY RSIAN SOLDIERS AND THE ALLI HELPG THEM PEA YEAR SCE RSIA'S LATT VASN OF UKRAE, ALLEGATNS PERSIST OF LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE BEG TARGETED OCCUPIED AREAS. FRIENDS MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA AND RENEE DIXSON ARE OFFERG MEMBERS OF THE MUNY A LIFELE.PUBLISHED 22 FEBARY 2023 7:57AMBY SANDRA FULLOON, LERA SHVETSSOURCE: SBS NEWSIMAGE: RENEE DIXSON (LEFT) AND MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA CANBERRA. (SBS NEWS / KEV HUDSON)CONTENT WARNG: THIS ARTICLE NTAS REFERENC TO SEXUAL ASSLT AND SUICI.IT WAS 13 MAY WHEN UKRAIANS SVLANA AND KATERYNA* SAID THREE ARMED RSIAN SOLDIERS BURST TO THE SMALL ABANDONED HOE WHERE THEY HAD BEEN LIVG. “ONE OF THEM FELY HAD A GUN,” SVLANA SAID. “THEY SAW OUR DISASSEMBLED BED, ON WHICH WE SLEEP, AND ONE OF THE SOLDIERS ASKED , ‘WHAT ARE YOU, THOSE 'PKS'?”THE LBIAN UPLE HAD MOVED OM THE UKRAIAN CY OF KHERSON TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN OF OLHKI AFTER RSIA'S VASN FEBARY LAST YEAR, BUT SAY THEY ULDN'T PE THE WAR.“WE WERE RAPED, ME AND MY GIRLIEND, G PHYSIL FORCE,” SVLANA SAID, HER WORDS PUBLISHED A REPORT BY UKRAE'S LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS NASH SV CENTRE NOVEMBER.“AFTER THE VLENCE, THE ATTACKERS TURNED OVER EVERYTHG LOOKG FOR MONEY AND JEWELLERY. WE HAD NOTHG AND THEY LEFT.”THE ABANDONED TERNATNAL AIRPORT THE UKRANIAN CY OF KHERSON FEBARY 2023. SOURCE: GETTY / STT PETERSONIN ANOTHER SE, A GROUP OF YOUNG MEN ACCED OF BEG GAY WERE ALLEGEDLY TAKEN HOSTAGE BY RSIAN SOLDIERS.“THEY HELD THEM A HOE AND HUIATED THEM, RAPED THEM,” SAID VALII TSARI, A HATE CRIME MONOR FOR THE CENTRE WHO SPOKE TO SBS NEWS OM A SAFE HOE OSA.“IT WAS GROUP RAPE AND THEN THEY PISSED ON THEM."IN THE MORNG THEY THREW THEM OUTSI. THE YOUNG MEN WERE AGED BETWEEN 19 AND 21. ONE OF THEM LATER TOOK HIS OWN LIFE.”THEY HELD THEM A HOE AND HUIATED THEM, RAPED THEM.- VALII TSARI, LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS NASH SV CENTRE SBS NEWS WAS UNABLE TO PENNTLY VERIFY THE CLAIMS BUT THEY ARE JT TWO OF THE 105 ALLEGED S OF HUMAN RIGHTS VLATNS THE NASH SV CENTRE, A NON-ERNMENTAL ANISATN, SAID HAS DOCUMENTED THE PAST YEAR, CLUDG S NOVEMBER REPORT LGBTQ AND WAR. IT SAID HAD ALSO RECEIVED 50 LLS TO S HOTLE.MR TSARI, WHO IS GAY, ALSO ALLEGED: “[RSIAN SOLDIERS] HAVE LISTS OF LGBTQ ACTIVISTS WHO APPEAR ON TELEVISN AND PARTICIPATE. I KNOW ABOUT THOSE LISTS AND I THOUGHT I WOULD BE ON THERE ALSO”. MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA SAID SHE GOT OUT JT TIME, FLEEG HER HOME KHERSON ON THE DAY RSIAN TANKS VAD UKRAE, JT WEEKS BEFORE WAS OCCUPIED. MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA, PICTURED ATRALIA, IS HELPG LGBTIQ+ UKRAIANS. SOURCE: SBS NEWS / KEV HUDSON“I LEFT KHERSON BEE THE RSIAN SOLDIERS WOULD LOOK FOR ME AND IF THEY FOUND ME, THEY WOULD KILL ME,” SHE SAID. MS POLEVIKOVA, THE MANAGG DIRECTOR OF LGBTIQ+ ANISATN FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, WHO IS A LBIAN, SAID HER NCERNS WERE HEIGHTENED BY TERNATNAL REPORTS THAT SURFACED PRR TO THE VASN, CLAIMG RSIAN SOLDIERS PLANNED TO TARGET CERTA GROUPS.THE WASHGTON POST PUBLISHED A LETTER FEBARY OM THE UNED STAT REPRENTATIVE TO THE OFFICE OF THE UNED NATNS AMBASSADOR, BATHSHEBA NELL CROCKER, STATG THE US HAD “CREDIBLE RMATN THAT DIT RSIAN FORC ARE CREATG A TARGET LIST OF UKRAIANS TO BE KILLED OR SENT TO MPS THE EVENT OF A ARY OCCUPATN, AMONG THEM JOURNALISTS, ACTIVISTS AND GAY RIGHTS ADVOT”.THE RSIAN ERNMENT NIED THE CLAIMS, WH KREML SPOKPERSON DMRY PKOV LLG AN “ABSOLUTE FICTN”.KHERSON WAS LIBERATED ON 9 NOVEMBER BUT MS POLEVIKOVA SAID DURG THE RSIAN OCCUPATN, MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY EXPERIENCED SEXUAL VLENCE, IMPRISONMENT AND TORTURE. SHE C THE PERSONAL EXPERIENC OF PEOPLE SHE HAS SCE HELPED TO EVACUATE THROUGH A ALN OF KHERSON LGBTIQ+ ANISATNS.“IN OCCUPIED KHERSON, RSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE HUNTED AND ABED LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE,” SHE SAID. “THEY [RSIAN SOLDIERS] WOULD SET UP FAKE DAT THROUGH A DATG SE. MANY LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE WERE TAKEN HOSTAGE.“WE KNOW OF SOME TAKEN TO TORTURE ROOMS, LBIANS THAT WERE UNFORTUNATELY RAPED, SOME PEOPLE WERE SHOT THE LEGS, SOME PEOPLE WENT MISSG AND STILL HAVE NOT BEEN FOUND.IN OCCUPIED KHERSON, RSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE HUNTED AND ABED LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE.- MARIANNA POLEVIKOVA, FOR EQUAL RIGHTSTHE ALLEGATNS ALSO EXTEND TO THE BROAR LGBTIQ+ MUNY, SHE SAID. “TRANSGENR PEOPLE WERE AAID TO GO OUT BEE THE RSIAN SOLDIERS WOULD RANDOMLY STOP THEM, PEOPLE WHO HAD TATTOOS WH UKRAIAN AND LGBTIQ+ SYMBOLS WERE DANGER.”ESPG TO SAFETYMS POLEVIKOVA IS NOW LIVG BERL AND IS VISG ATRALIA THIS WEEK AS PART OF SYDNEY WORLDPRI EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENS OF NTUG NCERNS FOR LGBTIQ+ UKRANIANS. SHE HAS BEEN WORKG WH HER CANBERRA-BASED IEND RENEE DIXSON TO MOVE ABOUT 300 MEMBERS OF THE MUNY TO SAFER AREAS UKRAE AND OVERSEAS.MX DIXSON, WHO IS A QUEER NON-BARY UKRANIAN, LEFT KHERSON MORE THAN A AGO AND IS THE -FOUNR OF THE FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE NETWORK (FDPN).RENEE DIXSON CANBERRA. CRED: SBS / KEV HUDSONTEARFULLY, MX DIXSON RELLED WATCHG RSIAN TANKS ROLL TO UKRAE LAST YEAR OM AFAR.“THE VASN WAS HORRIFIC FOR EVERYONE, AND UNFORTUNATELY, LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE WERE A MORE PRER AND VULNERABLE POSN. “THE FIRST THG THAT I DID THAT DAY ... WAS LL MY IEND [MS POLEVIKOVA] AND I ASK HER TO FD A R AND TAKE FAY AND IENDS OM THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY AND TO EVACUATE THE CY OF KHERSON.” READ MORETHIS IS WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE AN LGBTIQ+ ASYLUM SEEKER ATRALIAALLEGATNS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AB AGAST LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE E AS NO SURPRISE TO AMNTY INTERNATNAL ATRALIA.“RSIA HAS A TRACK RERD OF TARGETG THE RABOW MUNY,” S REPRENTATIVE LUCY KENNY SAID.“ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC EVINCE ON WHAT'S HAPPENG UKRAE RIGHT NOW, RSIA OPERAT A STATE-SANCTNED REGIME OF HOMOPHOBIA.”RSIA HAS A TRACK RERD OF TARGETG THE RABOW MUNY.- LUCY KENNY, AMNTY INTERNATNALIN DECEMBER, LAWS WERE TRODUCED THAT WIN THE PROHIBN OF "LGBT PROPAGANDA" RSIA AND RTRICT THE "MONSTRATN" OF LGBTIQ+ BEHAVUR. THE LEGISLATN PROHIBS ANY ACTN OR RMATN THAT IS NSIRED AN ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE HOMOSEXUALY AND BREACH N CUR A HEAVY FE.“THERE IS A LOT OF HATRED AND HOMOPHOBIA DISTRIBUTED BY THE KREML,” AMBASSADOR OF UKRAE TO ATRALIA VASYL MYROSHNYCHENKO SAID. “SO NATURALLY WHEN THEY OCCUPIED UKRAE, THEY WERE LOOKG FOR THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY AND TARGETG THEM SPECIFILLY.HE SAID THE ALLEGATNS ALSO EXTEND TO OTHER GROUPS. “RSIAN SOLDIERS ARE ALSO TARGETG WOMEN ... THEY ARE TARGETG RELIG MORI. THEY'RE TARGETG ETHNIC MORI. THE CRIM ARE QUE NUMERO.”READ MORETHE US HAS FORMALLY ACCED RSIA OF MTG 'CRIM AGAST HUMANY' UKRAERSIA HAS REPEATEDLY NIED S SOLDIERS HAVE MTED WAR CRIM DURG THE VASN.IN A STATEMENT TRANSLATED BY SBS RSIAN, A SPOKPERSON FOR THE EMBASSY OF THE RSIAN FERATN ATRALIA SCRIBED CLAIMS OF TARGETED ATTACKS ON UKRAE’S LGBTIQ+ MUNY AS A FABRITN.“THE ACCATNS ARE, ANKLY, LNAL AND ARE REMISCENT OF STORI ABOUT THE ALLEGED SEXUAL ATROCI OF THE RSIAN ARY WHICH THE ATRALIAN MEDIA PUBLISHED WILLGLY LAST YEAR. SBS WAS NO EXCEPTN,” THEY SAID. “THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THIS SO-LLED RMATN WAS LYUDA DENISOVA, UKRAE’S FORMER OMBUDSMAN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. SHE LATER ADMTED THAT SHE BASILLY VENTED THE CHILLG STORI, SO THAT ‘THE WORLD WOULD NOT FET ABOUT KYIV.’”READ MOREVLADIMIR PUT FENDS 'NOBLE' WAR VASN AMID ALLEGATNS OF RAPE, BTALY AND CHEMIL WEAPONSTHE STATEMENT REFERS TO MENTS MA BY MS DENISOVA LAST YEAR ABOUT ALLEGED RAPE S AGAST RSIAN SOLDIERS. MS DENISOVA WAS REMOVED OM OFFICE AFTER A VOTE OF NO-NFINCE MAY. SHE SAID AT THE TIME SHE WOULD APPEAL THE CISN. “THE SBS DIENCE SHOULD KNOW THIS STORY ORR TO PERCEIVE THIS NEW BATCH OF FABRITNS THE RIGHT NTEXT,“ THE EMBASSY STATEMENT SAID. 'LIVG FEAR'ANDRIY MAYMULAKH, HEAD OF THE NASH SV CENTRE, SAID ONE YEAR ON OM THE VASN, SOME MEMBERS OF THE MUNY WHO REMA OCCUPIED AREAS REMA FEARFUL. “SUCH PEOPLE ARE SUBJECTED TO SULTS, VLENCE, EXTORTN, RTRICTN OF EEDOM, AND THEIR VERY LIV ARE DANGER. “TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE AAID TO GO OUT TO THE STREETS BEE IF THE RSIAN SOLDIERS ASK FOR THEIR DOCUMENTS AND THEY SEE SAYS 'MAN' AND THE PERSON LOOKS LIKE A WOMAN, THEN IS A BIG QUTN.”HIS LLEAGUE MR TSARI SAID THE NUMBER OF ALLEGED ASSLTS ULD ALSO BE MUCH HIGHER THAN REPORTED AS THOSE STILL OCCUPIED AREAS FEAR RETRIBUTN FOR THEMSELV OR THEIR FAI IF THEY SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENC.HATE CRIME MONOR VALII TSARI. SOURCE: SUPPLIED / VALII TSARIAS WELL AS HELPG RELOTE PEOPLE OM UKRAE, MS POLEVIKOVA AND MX DIXSON HAVE ALSO BEEN LLABORATG TO PROVI SUPPLI SUCH AS HIV MEDITN TO THOSE WHO REMA. THEY ALSO RAISE FUNDS FOR FOOD AND HORMONE THERAPY FOR TRANSGENR PEOPLE, LIVERED WH THE HELP OF LOL VOLUNTEERS.BUT EVEN AFTER ARRIVG NEW UNTRI, CLUDG ATRALIA, SOME MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY N NTUE TO FACE SOCIAL BARRIERS AND ABE, ACRDG TO A RECENT SURVEY BY FDPN LLED INHABG TWO WORLDS AT ONCE.“WE FOUND OUT HORRIFIC RMATN AND DATA,” MX DIXSON SAID.READ MORE'MY PARENTS REJECTED ME FOR BEG GAY'OF THE 82 LGBTIQ+ RPONNTS ATRALIA, ONE-THIRD CHOSE NOT TO ANSWER A QUTN ABOUT VLENCE EXPERIENCED ATRALIA, BUT 60 PER CENT WHO DID SAID THEY HAD EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ONE FORM OF VLENCE SCE ARRIVG.FDPN ALSO C GLOBAL DATA WHICH SUGGTS UP TO SIX PER CENT OF REFUGE ARE MEMBERS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY. MX DIXSON IS LLG ON THE ATRALIAN ERNMENT TO TRODUCE SEPARATE QUOTAS AND PROVI MORE SPECIFIC SUPPORT FOR LGBTIQ+ REFUGE. “WE ARE LOSG MEMBERS NOT ONLY UKRAE, BUT AFGHANISTAN, IRAN,” MX DIXSON SAID. “WE NEED TO DO MORE FOR MUNI AROUND THE WORLD THAT ARE SUFFERG UNR HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA, CREATG SAFE AND WELG SPAC HOST UNTRI, TO HELP PEOPLE FD PATHWAYS TO BELONGG.”SBS NEWS HAS NTACTED THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS FOR MENT. ATRALIA HAS GIVEN $655 LN TO UKRAE OVER THE PAST YEAR, CLUDG $65 LN HUMANARIAN ASSISTANCE.THE QUEER DISPLACEMENTS NFERENCE ANISED BY THE FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE NETWORK (FDPN) WILL BE HELD ON 22-23 FEBARY AT THE UNIVERSY OF WTERN SYDNEY AS PART OF SYDNEY WORLDPRI.*NAM HAVE BEEN CHANGEDLERA SHVETS IS A PRODUCER FOR SBS RSIAN. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS IMPACTED BY SEXUAL ASSLT, LL 1800RESPECT ON 1800 737 732 OR VIS . IN AN EMERGENCY, LL 000. LGBTIQ+ ATRALIANS SEEKG SUPPORT WH MENTAL HEALTH N NTACT QLIFE ON 1800 184 527 OR VIS .  ALSO HAS A LIST OF SUPPORT SERVIC.  WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR STORY WH SBS NEWS? EMAIL SHARETAGSWORLDTOPICS

'" While the Rsian ary holds tradnal views on sexualy, a UN report om 2007 stated homosexualy and male prostutn is mon wh the UN Internatnal Panel for Stggle agast Sexual Exploatn found that some soldiers voluntarily offer their servic while others are forced to prostutn. The battaln chief assistant add: 'I had one gay ntract soldier who joed jt to fd more partners for himself. 'The move is the latt a seri of proposed clampdowns on homosexualy cludg new legislatn which aims to promote tradnal the terms of a bill that up for a first vote later this month, a public kiss between two men uld be fed as illegal 'homosexual propaganda' and brg a fe of up to £10, 000 The legislatn beg phed by the Kreml and the Rsian Orthodox Church would make illegal to tell mors rmatn that is fed as ‘propaganda of sodomy, lbianism, bisexualy and transgenrism.

’ It also clus a ban on holdg public events that promote gay rights. The Orthodox Church Rsia has mand a natnal referendum on crimalisg gay relatnships a move certa to epen nflict wh the Wt. Picuttured: Officers ta gay right activists durg a prott Mosw The bill is part of an effort to promote tradnal Rsian valu as opposed to Wtern liberalism, which the Kreml and church see as rptg Rsian youth and ntributg to a wave of prott agast Print Vladimir Put's le, Fox News laws that the Kreml says are tend to protect young Rsians have been adopted recent months, cludg some that allow banng and blockg web ntent and prt publitns that are emed ‘extremist’ or unf for young Volkov, a soclogist wh the Levada Center, an pennt pollster, says the anti-gay bill fs the ‘general logic’ of a ernment tent on limg var this se, the move has been met mostly wh eher difference or open enthiasm by average Rsians.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* RUSSIAN SOLDIERS GAY

The gay Ukraians 'hunted' by Rsian soldiers and the alli helpg them pe | SBS News.

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