The Russian Soldiers Tortured to Death a Retired 78-Year-Old Captain near Mariupol

From his house in the seaside village of Melekine, he was taken into one of the basements in neighboring Mangush, where he was beaten and mocked for several days.

The badly beaten captain was released after three days of torture. The Russians said that «they do not fight with veterans of the Soviet Navy.»

After returning home, Yevhen Bal still managed to tell his friends and relatives what happened. He even cheered many of them up — was saying that everything will be fine. But in a few days, on April 2, he died.

Andrii Bal, the captain's nephew, says that even having the opportunity to leave the occupied territory, he decided to stay on his land, in his Ukraine.

«It is a person who had an active public position, pro-Ukrainian, 1st rank captain in retirement. He was active and had a subtle sense of humor. The writer, mentor, warrior. This is exactly who uncle Yevhen was.

With the opportunity to leave the city, he decided to stay to help everyone he could. Did uncle Yevhen regret the decision? The answer is clear — no. After all, the captain leaves the ship last! The sailor does not leave at the difficult time those whom he considers friends. We are proud of our uncle!" Andrii Bal recalls.

Journalist Pavlo Kushch managed to talk to Yevhen Bal after the Russian occupants allowed him to go home. Pavlo Kushch says that the captain did not live up less than a week to his 79th birthday. He died on April 2, and his birthday is on April 7.

«This courageous man with strong spirit and body died on April 2, notwithstanding the beating of the Russian occupants, who «re-educated» him in the cellars of the occupied Mangush for three days.

The maritime officer who has served in the submarines of the Northern and Pacific Navies for over thirty years, of course, was in various difficult situations. And more than once he went on a standalone swim. Actually, his active patriotic and volunteer activity in the Azov region, which has been conducted since the evil 2014, also was a «standalone swim».

Yevhen Bal often met with units of Marines and Border Guards and other defenders of Mariupol, handed them his books and libraries of books of Ukrainian writers, wrote works of art and journalistic materials about a hybrid war…" Pavlo Kushch says.

The occupants broke into the house of Yevhen Bal on March 18. During the ugly raid, a photo of a naval officer with Ukrainian Marines, a membership ticket of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine, and other «pieces of evidence of fascism» was found.

«Our colleague was taken to Mangush, but at the request of his relatives, we didn`t report this information and didn`t make relevant statements. Because «liberators» promised to let go of a 78-year-old prisoner. In the end, it happened — on March 21, Yevhen Bal even wrote to me a laconic message: «I'm home. Everything is okay».

We talked about that «Okay» the next day. But you need to know Yevhen Bali! He confirmed that he was badly beaten up in these three days, and there were serious injuries but assured that he will get well for sure. He confessed that the Russian executioners were very «generous». They released a 78-year-old man, because «do not fight with the Veterans of the Navy of the USSR …». After a few days of beating.

We still agreed to evacuate him from a dangerous zone, which we tried to arrange in a couple of days when he recovered a little from the tortures of the occupants. Unfortunately, it was our last conversation …

Although I knew that Yevhen Bal was in the village near Mariupol as if in the waterlogged compartment of the submarine lying on the bottom, this courageous man never gave the SOS signal. If he could not talk, sent the usual messages: «Everything is okay. We are staying strong.»

It was so until March 19. And the cynicism of the Russian soldiers was also because the 1st rank captain Yevhen Bal was captured just on March 19, when the Day of the Submariner is celebrated," the colleague of the deceased wrote.

In 2014, the tortured captain was one of the active residents of Melekine, who did not allow the Russian flag to be raised above the village. He defended the Ukrainian above the village council.

«Yevhen, despite the respectable age, was an active person. His every day has important events. He motivated a large number of young people, including his own grandson, to serve in Maritime Security of the State Border Guard Service.

When the Border Guard Service needed help, he quickly organized volunteer support or donor blood donation.

The 1st rank captain, Yevhen Bal, during his service in the Soviet Navy was a real submarine officer, for whom the concept of officer's honor was not just words. He remained a decent, high-moral person all his life, and died at the hands of moral freaks, who only publicly show respect for Soviet officers.

In fact, these slaves do not know what respect is, they know only one feeling — fear. Until recently, they were only afraid of their king, and now they are afraid of Ukrainian defenders. And right, because they know that they will be haunted for Mariupol, Bucha, Kramatorsk … For thousands of innocently killed and tortured Ukrainians, including Yevhen Bal," the post on the page of the Donetsk Border Guard Service department says.

Olena Bilozerska, who reported the tragic news, knew Yevhen Bal for several years — they met when she served in another unit.

«Mr Yevhen Bal interviewed us when I served in the 503 unit. He presented two books. Then had a couple of phone conversations. We were joking, laughing.

The Russians cannot fight with the army and kill the defenseless. Another case to the «collection» of war crimes. They will be brought to justice," the military wrote.

Yevhen Bal is known not only as a captain — in the 80's and 90's he was the chairman of the Mariupol Public Committee on Rescue of the Azov Sea, was the head of the water supply committee in Melekine in 2009−2010, and in 2016 investigated the problem of landslide on the road in Melekine. Since 2014, as soon as the occupation of Crimea and the Russian invasion of Ukrainian Donbas began, he was an active volunteer.

The Donetsk Regional Organization of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine will appeal to the head of the Union in order to come up with a request for awarding Yevhen Bal with Order «For Courage» of the III degree. Posthumously.