"After consulting with our comrades, we decided to stay because there were still people left," Serhii Davydiuk, a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war and deputy mayor of Nova Kakhovka until 2018, did not leave the city after the russian occupation.

He revealed the details of his story in an exclusive interview with Lyudmyla Havryliuk for "My - Ukraina" - about helping the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine, enemy torture chambers, and a complex rescue operation implemented by the DIU.

After the enemy captured Nova Kakhovka, Serhii left home and hid. He collected and transmitted important information for the Defense Forces. The russian invaders were hunting for him - they had the lists of ATO participants from Nova Kakhovka on the second day of the occupation.

"On May 3 [2022], I received a call at 6:45 a.m. and was told: "Surrender." I replied that I was not in the city, that I was far away: "Look for me." And that's how we started the game," the man recalled.

For several months, Serhii continued monitoring the occupiers' equipment movement and passed on important information. On Independence Day, August 24, 2022, the man was detained by the russians.

He spent 35 days in torture chambers.

"During the first day, they beat me as I have already said: "Kill me" because I could not stand it anymore," Serhii said.

The occupiers were unable to extract any confessions. A month and a half later, the man was released and began looking for ways to leave occupied Nova Kakhovka. He even considered waiting for spring and crossing the Dnipro River or getting to his relatives through the village of Krynky.

Meanwhile, in Kyiv, a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Heide Rizaeva, learned about Serhii Davydyuk from a mutual friend who asked for help. Preparations and planning for the evacuation operation began.

"It took me a few days to draw up a joint route. We had to wait for certain rotational moments. It was necessary to determine Serhii's psychological type because not everyone can psychologically cope with passing through enemy checkpoints," says Heide.

Watch the story to find out what happened next: https://youtu.be/IaN2qAj13Lc