Ukraine: Occupied and recaptured - The story of the town of Kupyansk | DW Documentary

The town of Kupyansk was one of the first places in Ukraine to fall to Russian invaders. Six months later it was recaptured by Ukraine. Left in the ruins of the town, residents are now grappling with questions of guilt and complicity. No shots were fired when the Russian army occupied Kupyansk. The mayor of the town of 30,000 simply handed it over to advancing Russian troops. But not all citizens were happy with the collaboration. One brave local politician drummed up resistance and organized protests under the Ukrainian flag. Russia launched a violent crackdown on the rebellion. Anyone daring to speak out against the Russian troops’ presence risked being ‘disappeared’ in the occupiers’ torture chambers. Open resistance was swiftly quashed, driving the movement underground. Meanwhile Russia began implementing its own plans for the town, which became an administrative center for the occupied territories around Kharkiv. The occupation authorities handed out Russian passports and turned Kupyansk into a sh