In March 2022, one month after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine, Denys D. and his family decided to pack up and flee their besieged homeland. They left Mariupol in two cars and traveled circuitous routes on war-ravaged roads, periodically breaking into the children’s piggy bank to buy gas, a commodity whose price had increased tenfold since the outbreak of hostilities. At numerous Russian checkpoints, they were stopped, searched, and scrutinized, their documents thoroughly checked, their vehicles scoured. Each time, before continuing on their way, they had to give the Russian soldiers a gift — money, cigarettes, even instant coffee. At one filtration camp, Denys joined a hundred men in a small room with no food, water, or bathroom and waited to be interviewed. When at last his name was called, he was seen by two investigators who examined his body for tattoos or bruises typical of military men. They then studied his phone for any suspicious texts and compromising photos.
