Brave Ukrainian women are fighting back against Vladimir Putin’s invasion with the most powerful weapon they have – the truth.
More than 100 have joined the “data battalion” on the information frontline, putting together a huge library of images exposing the horrors perpetrated by Russia against the country’s civilian population.
Calling themselves Dattalion, they have spent months collecting evidence of war crimes including rape, torture and murder.
And they are spreading the message on social media platforms and on their website. Co-founders Nataliya Mykolska and Valentina Synenka are raising support for the movement in London where they broke cover to speak to the Mirror.
Nataliya, 41, a businesswoman and married mum of two living as a refugee in the Austrian capital Vienna, said: “The truth is our weapon and we are collecting data and imagery to show the world exactly what is being done to Ukraine.
“We cannot allow war fatigue to set in and for people to believe it is not happening right now. We’ve shown our evidence to MPs in the UK and top senators in the US, and I’ve seen tears. This imagery works.”
Valentina, 38, a married mum of one who runs a major IT company with her Dutch husband in Antwerp, Belgium, said: “I have relatives in Russia and after the invasion happened I could not believe what I was hearing.
“They would say, ‘No, no, no… you are being saved by our troops’. This is why it is so important that we show the truth through our collation of data.”
Dattalion is run on a voluntary basis but urgently needs your support so it can continue to show the world the truth about the invasion. You can contribute at patreon.com/dattalion or helpukraine@dattalion.com
It comes after a British care worker sentenced to death for fighting in Ukraine has launched a desperate appeal against his execution.
Aiden Aslin, 28, was captured in the besieged city of Mariupol while defending Ukraine.
After joining the Ukrainian marines in 2018, he had been fighting with his unit when they were forced to surrender to the Russians after running out of food and ammunition.
Mr Aslin was handed the death penalty for "mercenary activities" at a court in the Russian-backed breakaway Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine
But he argues he was not a mercenary but a member of Ukraine’s armed forces.
The Brit, from Newark in Nottinghamshire, shared a picture of himself taking his oath to serve in the Ukrainian army on social media.
A lawyer for fellow British fighter Shaun Pinner, 48, Yulia Tserkovnikova, launched his appeal last week.
Both men were sentenced to the death penalty, being shot by a firing squad, in an verdict last month after a rushed trial when key witnesses did not appear.
