GENEVA (Reuters) – Andriy Taz, 32, was the deputy head of communications at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, and helped spread the word about the seizure of the power plant by the Russian military.
However, he is now in exile in a foreign country, has lost his job, and is suspected by Ukrainian intelligence of being a Russian collaborator, according to documents from the Ukrainian state company Energoatom, which operates the nuclear power station.
Why did Mr Taz go from being praised as a Ukrainian patriot to being called a “traitor”? This is because he has been in contact with Russian intelligence agencies when he moved from the nuclear power plant, and in a video released in June, Mr. Taz, “It was not true that Russia shelled the nuclear power plant.” you said Taz said he was forced to record after being tortured by Russian intelligence officers.
The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is at the forefront of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The nuclear power plant was said to have been damaged by external power cuts and other damage, and Mr. Taz is torn in the middle of a heated political propaganda war between the two countries which tries to place responsibility for the problem on the other side. . .
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) believes that Taz may have assisted the Russian military, according to an internal Energoatom document dated July 11, seen by Reuters.
The document also contained instructions for Taz’s dismissal. Reuters was unable to verify Taz’s claims that Russia had tortured him into pro-Russian rhetoric.
The SBU told Reuters earlier this month that it had obtained a story about Mr Taz during an intelligence-gathering operation on the ground, but gave no further details, citing laws and regulations that guarantee the secrecy of such activities.
He added that no criminal court proceedings had been initiated against him at this time.
Neither the Russian intelligence service, the Federal Security Service (FSB) nor the Russian president’s office responded to requests for comment. Russia has so far emphasized that it is taking all possible steps to maintain the safe operation of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
An Energoatom spokesman told Reuters that Taz was no longer an employee and asked the SBU to ask “whether he was cooperating with the FSB or not.”
Taz told Reuters he plans to appeal the dismissal in the future and hopes Ukrainian authorities will recognize his innocence once they understand what happened to him.
Ukrainian workers continued to operate the plant even after Russian forces took control of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in early March. The Ukrainian government described it as effectively an action “at gunpoint”.
Shelling continues in and around the nuclear power plant, raising fears in the international community that another radiation disaster like the Chernobyl disaster could happen again.
Last week, an expert from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited the site and expressed the view that the nuclear plant had been extensively damaged and was in an unviable condition.
Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the shelling. Eager to justify themselves through social media, government statements and other communication channels, both sides clash with each other for committing “nuclear terrorism”.
Taz said he started working at the Zaporozhye nuclear power station in 2012. Last year, he was appointed deputy head of public relations.
In early March this year, when the Russian army assembled, he regularly posted videos to the official Telegram accounts of Energoatom and Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, and appeared on television.
In a series of videos posted on March 4, Taz said, looking directly at the camera, “Be careful, Russian guns are firing at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.” In another video, he said a building containing a nuclear power plant was on fire, but that gunfire had prevented firefighters from getting to it.
On this very day, the Russian army took control of the nuclear power plant. Almost at the same time, he also took control of the city of Enerjodar, where most of the workers live. Taz’s video update ended on the same day.
In June, Mr. Taz Enerhodar with his elderly mother and tried to travel to Georgia through Russia. This was because it was necessary to cross dangerous front lines in order to flee to areas controlled by Ukrainian forces.
According to Mr. Taz and others, the car he was driving was stopped at a checkpoint in southern Russia on June 21. One person who saw Russian police searching the vehicle told Reuters that there was indeed a driver and an elderly woman.
The police then handed Taz over to the FSB, who detained him and took him to Sochi, about 90 kilometers away. He was charged with rioting there and ordered to pay a fine, according to a Reuters investigation. Mr Taz claims the FSB fabricated the crime to create a cover for his detention.
The Criminal Police and Traffic Police Supervisory Authority of the Krasnodar Territory, which includes the city of Sochi, did not respond to requests for comment.
After being transferred, Taz was tortured by investigators who put a plastic bag over his head, tied his wrists tightly, beat him, and burned his fingers with a lighter. I was forced to say that I would do anything to stop the torture, and after being forced to answer several questions, I was forced to record a video denying that the Russian military had shelled nuclear power plants.
Looking back, Mr. Taz, “I realized that no one could believe such a lie.”
The next day, he was taken to a Sochi park and told the camera, “I’m on holiday in Sochi. The people here are very friendly and helpful.”
In addition, he corrected his comments by saying that he now understood that the information he received in March that the Russian military had shelled the nuclear power plant was incorrect.
The Russia-friendly video went viral on Russian social media, including YouTube, on June 23.
The FSB did not respond to Reuters questions about the circumstances of Taz’s detention and interrogation.
Taz’s mother told Reuters her son looked “very worn out” when he was released and had blood on his shirt.
Taz was released on the night of June 22 after filming the video, but the FSB did not return his passport until July 8, so he could not move immediately.
During this time, one of the FSB officers who detained him, who identified himself as “Matay,” has kept in regular contact via cellphone, the people said.
When Reuters called the number given to him by Taz, he answered “Mr. Matvey” and did not deny that he worked for the Russian intelligence service.
He also admitted that he met Taz and traveled with his colleagues to Sochi because he had “interesting information”. However, the content of the information was not disclosed.
“Mr. Matvey” said he released Mr Taz after receiving the information and denied torture. “Of course not. Why should I torture someone who came here to me?” he told Reuters.
After being tortured, Taz was also asked to give the name of a prominent local politician from Enerkhodar.I was offered a job to carry it out.
Reuters has traced the call to someone claiming to be Ilya Chermensky.
In response to inquiries from Reuters, Mr Chermensky said he worked for Putin’s government and had called Mr Taz, but had not offered him a job. Chermensky said he knew nothing about Taz’s torture or the circumstances under which he was placed.
Mr Taz and his mother finally entered Georgia on July 12th. On the way from there to Switzerland, Taz learned that he had been fired from Energoatom by a former colleague.
Taz, who is now in the United States, told Reuters while in Switzerland that he refused to speak out despite threats from the FSB’s “Mr. Matvey” to poison him if the said facts were determined. Because they didn’t want to allow Russia to continue to threaten them. “So, despite all the dangers and fears, I am trying to make my story public,” she said with strong determination.
When Reuters called back the number of “Mr. Matvey” that Reuters had previously spoken to, the person replied that it was on a different number.
The FSB did not respond to questions about Taz’s allegations of intimidation.
(Reporting by Cecile Mantovani, Maria Tsvetkova, Christian Lowe)
*He will be angry due to system reasons.
