Jingle bellZ. Documentary diary. Oleksii Anulia

This sincere and uncompromising book is a candid documentary diary about the war and the terrifying realities of captivity, about miraculously experienced events and about the people who are shaped by these events. A story that reveals the true essence of human nature, about the real line between good and evil, between a person and a sadistic buffoon. A book-testimony about those who found an excuse to cross the line of humanity. A story about the choice that each of us makes.

Oleksii Anulia is the author of this book, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a participant in the defense of the Chernihiv region during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, who survived Russian captivity, where he spent almost ten months, of which 130 days were spent in a punishment cell.

Oleksii has been engaged in kickboxing since school years, was the champion of Ukraine and the CIS. He worked as a bodyguard. His clients included the WhatsApp developer and the son of the Libyan prime minister.

In February 2022, after the Russian invasion began, Anulia and her 57-year-old father, Yurii, a former soldier, joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They were assigned to different units, but both were sent to the village of Lukashivka near Chernihiv. There, Oleksii was wounded, and his father helped to evacuate 46 people from the encirclement and returned to cover the retreat. After knocking out several Russian tanks, Yuriy and six other Ukrainian soldiers were captured; eyewitnesses said that they were tortured and then burned alive in a local church.

After returning from captivity, where he lost 40 kg and 6 cm in height, Oleksii wrote an autobiographical book, “Jingle Bellz,” a reference to the famous Christmas carol he sang in his cell. In order to recreate the horrors he experienced and describe them more accurately, Alexey deliberately starved himself and stayed in a cold room. The first edition of the book was published in Latvia, where he was undergoing treatment.

Oleksii Anulia actively participates in international conferences and forums (speeches at the UN Human Rights Council session, at the international forum in Davos, meetings with state leaders), where he talks about torture in Russian prisons and calls for increased pressure on Russia for prisoner exchanges.