Latest news with #Sergei
NDTV
26-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Fight Against Evil": Russian Couple Who Became Spy Informants For Ukraine
When the first rocket screamed over their roof, Sergei and Tatyana Voronkov's peaceful life in rural Ukraine was shattered in an instant. The couple fled Russia years earlier, hoping to escape the Kremlin's tightening grip over those openly opposing Vladimir Putin. They never imagined that by seeking refuge in Ukraine, they would become targets in a deadly conflict, interrogated in dark basements, and forced to send secret intelligence, all while living under constant threat. Their story began in 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Crimea. Sergei and Tatyana, both Russian citizens, had long been vocal critics of Putin. They condemned Russia's actions to friends and acquaintances. In response, they were told if they didn't like it, they could leave. So, they did. They decided to relocate to Ukraine, Tatyana's birthplace, hoping for a new start. By 2019, they settled in Novolyubymivka, a quiet village of about 300 people in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region. They raised livestock, adopted four dogs, and Sergei found work as a land surveyor, drawing on skills he gained in the Soviet army. Life was calm. Until the rockets came. In February 2022, Tatyana, 52, heard "something whistling, something flying." Russia had launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "I went outside. A rocket was flying right over the house. I went on the internet to see what had happened and they wrote that Kyiv had already been bombed," she told the BBC. Suddenly, their village was under Russian occupation. Instead of fleeing, the couple decided to fight back in their own way. When a Russian military convoy passed their home, Tatyana messaged an acquaintance in Kyiv, who connected them to a secret Telegram chatbot. Soon, someone with a unique identifier was in touch, asking for information about Russian military equipment they spotted. Missile systems, tanks, electronic warfare devices. "We didn't think of it as treason," Tatyana said. "Nobody attacked Russia. This was a fight against evil." For two years, Sergei gathered precise coordinates while Tatyana sent the data to Ukraine's security services. She deleted the messages as soon as they were sent. Their information helped Ukrainian forces target Russian troops more effectively. In April 2024, Sergei was apprehended by armed men while shopping in Tokmak. He was thrown into a dark basement pit, barely big enough to stand in, where he endured brutal interrogations. A bag was kept over his head. He was threatened and pressured to confess to espionage. After four days, fearing he might accidentally incriminate others under torture, Sergei admitted his role. Tatyana desperately searched for him, calling hospitals, morgues, and authorities. Ten days after Sergei's arrest, their home was raided, and $4,400 (Rs 37.4 lakh) they had hidden in the garden was confiscated. Tatyana was told her husband was "sitting in a basement" with Russia's security service, the FSB. After 37 days in captivity, Sergei was forced to record a confession on camera but was shockingly released two days later, without explanation, and stripped of his documents. Under constant surveillance, the couple knew they could not stay. Their plan was risky. They needed to get Sergei a new passport, which meant returning to Russia. With help from neighbours who bought their livestock and household goods, and after arranging new homes for their dogs, the couple prepared to leave. To avoid suspicion, they invented a story. They were going to the beach for fresh air for Tatyana's asthma. Sergei packed a straw hat and a rubber ring to make the story believable. They were not stopped. Though initially denied entry into Russia, Sergei eventually got a certificate proving he had applied for a new passport. After delays and a failed attempt to exit via Belarus, Sergei resorted to buying a fake passport through Telegram. They travelled by bus to Belarus, crossed the border with the forged document, and then entered Lithuania, a safe haven and ally of Ukraine. Sergei was detained by Lithuanian authorities for the fake passport and found guilty in court. Now, the couple lives in a shelter for asylum seekers, hoping to rebuild their lives far from war. In recognition of their bravery, the Ukrainian army sent them a letter of thanks, which the BBC has seen. Yet, the price has been steep. Their son, who lives in Moscow, cut ties with them, angered by their actions. Sergei's elderly mother remains loyal to Putin and the war. Despite this, the couple are adamant they will never return to Russia. "Only if it starts showing some humanity," Sergei said. "For now, I see nothing human there."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We didn't see it as treason': The Russian couple who became informants for Ukraine
It was shortly after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 that Sergei and Tatyana Voronkov decided they would leave Russia. The couple, who had long been critical of Vladimir Putin, had condemned the actions of Russia to friends and acquaintances. In response, they were told that if they didn't like it they could leave. So the couple, both Russian citizens, decided to relocate to Ukraine, where Tatyana was born. In 2019 they eventually settled in Novolyubymivka, a village of about 300 people in the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region. The couple got four dogs and started raising livestock, while Sergei, 55, also found work as a land surveyor – his specialism during his time in the Soviet army. They hoped for a quiet life. But when Moscow launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the peace of their new lives was shattered by the first Russian rockets flying over their home. "I heard something whistling, something flying, and I went outside," Tatyana, 52, recalls. "A rocket was flying right over the house. "I went on the internet to see what had happened and they wrote that Kyiv had already been bombed." The couple quickly found themselves in occupied territory, and decided to become informants for Ukraine. What followed was detention, interrogation, an escape into Europe – and a letter of thanks from the Ukrainian army. It was when a Russian convoy passed their home for the first time that Tatyana decided to act. She ran inside and messaged an acquaintance in Kyiv, whom she believed had contacts in Ukraine's security services. The contact sent her a link to a chatbot on messaging app Telegram which told her they would be contacted by a person with a unique identifier. The couple were then asked to provide the location and details of Russian electronic warfare systems and military hardware they had seen, particularly missile systems and tanks. The locations would help the Ukrainian army target and destroy Russian troops in the area with drones and artillery. "We didn't think of it as treason," says Tatyana, who along with Sergei insists the information they gave did not result in any strikes on civilians or civilian infrastructure. "Nobody attacked Russia. This was a fight against evil." For two years, Sergei would collect coordinates and Tatyana would transmit them from her phone - removing all traces of the messages afterwards - as and when their village's internet access allowed them to do so. But all of this came to an end when Sergei was detained in April 2024 by armed men while he was shopping for gardening seeds in the regional centre of Tokmak. Sergei says he was taken to an abandoned house and put in a cold basement pit - around two metres wide and three metres deep - where he slept in a squatting position. The next day he was questioned about whether he had passed details of Russian positions to the Ukrainians. Sergei says a bag was kept over his head during the interrogation and he was threatened with violence. After initially denying his involvement, Sergei confessed on the fourth day of his captivity, fearing that if he were subjected to violence he might accidently implicate others. While all of this was happening, Tatyana was desperately searching for information on his whereabouts. She travelled the area and phoned hospitals and morgues, while the couple's son, who was still living near Moscow, contacted various authorities there. Ten days after Sergei's arrest, security forces searched the Voronkovs' home and dug up $4,400 that had been hidden by the couple in their garden. Shortly after, Tatyana was told that her husband was "sitting in a basement" and was with Russia's security services, the FSB. Weeks later, after 37 days in captivity, Sergei was made to confess to assisting Ukraine on camera by people who introduced themselves to him as FSB. But to his surprise, he was released two days later, though almost all of his documents, including his passport, were confiscated. To this day, Sergei and Tatyana do not understand why he was released. However, the BBC understands this is not uncommon in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia, where investigative and judicial processes lack transparency and often no explanations are given as to why a person is detained or released. In the weeks after Sergei's release, the couple believe they were kept under surveillance, with cars constantly driving up to their home and strangers asking them if they were selling anything. Believing they'd never be left alone, the couple began plotting a way to leave. After consulting human rights activists, Sergei and Tatyana decided to try to travel to Lithuania. But to do that, they needed to return to Russia first to get Sergei a new passport. Their neighbours in Novolyubymivka helped by buying livestock and household appliances from them. The couple even managed to find a new home for their dogs, which Sergei says was his biggest worry. The couple set off in their car. Fearing they could be pulled over and quizzed by Russian forces, they made up a cover story about going to the beach to get fresh air for Tatyana, who has asthma. They even brought a straw hat and a rubber ring to make the story more convincing. But in the end they weren't stopped. The couple were initially denied entry into Russia, but were eventually able to enter after Sergei got a certificate proving he had applied for a new passport. After delays in getting his passport and a thwarted attempt to leave Russia via Belarus, Sergei bought a fake passport through Telegram. The couple were then able to travel by bus to Belarus and cross the border using Sergei's forged document. From there, they crossed into Lithuania, a member of the European Union and a close ally of Ukraine, though Sergei was detained for holding forged documents. He was later found guilty of using a fake passport by a Lithuanian court. The couple are now living in a shelter for asylum seekers and hope to settle in Lithuania. The Ukrainian army sent them a letter of thanks - at the request of their former handler in Kyiv - to support their application for asylum. The BBC has seen a copy of the letter. The BBC has also seen documents from official bodies in both Russia and Ukraine that confirm what happened to the Voronkovs. We are not reproducing them to protect the identities of those involved. The Voronkovs' actions have caused deep rifts in the family. Their son, who remains in Russia, stopped talking to his parents after learning what they had done. Sergei's mother, who is 87, still lives in Russia and is supportive of the war and President Putin. But despite this, the couple are adamant they will never return to Russia. "Only if it starts showing some humanity," Sergei says. "For now, I see nothing human there."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada looks to help build Ukraine's pension system, says finance minister
BANFF, Alberta (Reuters) -Canada is considering helping build a pension system like its own for Ukraine, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said on Tuesday. "I had the privilege with Sergei to meet a number of pension funds and a number of very important investors to look at what's going to come next," he said, while addressing a press conference with Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko at the beginning of the G7 meetings in Baff, Canada. "We thought also how we could work together eventually, to share best practices in building a pension system in Ukraine," he said.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada looks to help build Ukraine's pension system, says finance minister
BANFF, Alberta (Reuters) -Canada is considering helping build a pension system like its own for Ukraine, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said on Tuesday. "I had the privilege with Sergei to meet a number of pension funds and a number of very important investors to look at what's going to come next," he said, while addressing a press conference with Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko at the beginning of the G7 meetings in Baff, Canada. "We thought also how we could work together eventually, to share best practices in building a pension system in Ukraine," he said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL Nugget: Calgary Flames' Dustin Wolf's Birthday Backcheck
Dustin Wolf (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images) Here's today's NHL Nugget – this Birthday Backcheck features Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf, who turns 24 on April 16. Wolf is the fifth-fastest American-born rookie goalie to hit 20 wins in a season. He was the goaltender of the year in the CHL in 2020, the AHL in 2022 and 2023 and the AHL's MVP in 2023. Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media. And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.
