Pro-Ukrainian human rights activist accused of separatism in Donbas

The representatives of the local police in the town of Toretsk, Donetsk region, broke into the house of Chairwoman of the NGO “Ecology and Social Protection” Olha Rudenko and asked her to go with them to the police station.

Volodymyr Berezin, the journalist and director of the “Bakhmat” ecological-cultural centre, wrote on his Facebook page.

“I received a phone call from a person whom I helped to enter the social movement many years ago, who became the leader of the Toretsk (former Dzerzhynsk) community, a true patriot of Ukraine, known and respected by all the activists of the region, Olha Rudenko… She said that three representatives (as they introduced themselves) of the regional police had broken into her apartment and said she was a separatist, asking to go with them. They named the reason – she was on the Myrotvorets website. She began to protest, saying she was not posted on the Myrotvorets website and that she would appeal to the Commissioner for Human Rights. They went away, but promised to consider her case,” Berezin wrote.

Berezin wrote that he had called the chief of Bakhmut police station, who was also responsible for Toretsk police. The chief confirmed that there was a visit to Olha Rudenko, but not because of the lists on Myrotvorets website but because “there was a signal.”

Berezin calls on non-governmental organizations and the media to quickly and loudly respond to the incident, to estimate such actions.

He recalled that “a similar incident earlier occurred with Halyna Oleinikova from Bakhmut“.

Apart from management of the environmental organization, Olha Rudenko is currently developing two projects: one is connected with the legal help to the Roma people, another – with teaching them how to evacuate.

Myrotvorets website publishes the information about Ukrainians who collaborate with the occupation authorities of the so-called “DPR” and “LPR.”

Photo credit: Facebook page of Olha Rudenko