Russian captivity

Ukrainian ex-POW says Russian captivity is built on propaganda, fear and humiliation

Vladyslav Kharytonov was captured by Russian troops on his 21st birthday, after a brutal battle for the village of Kamyanka near Izium. More than two years later, he returned from captivity weighing about 60 kilograms — and with a clear understanding of how Russia’s prison system uses propaganda, humiliation and fear to break Ukrainian POWs.

26 May, 04:26 PM

Azov medic Oleksandr Krokhmalyuk tortured to death in Russian captivity, forensics confirm

Azov regiment medic Oleksandr Krokhmalyuk died as a result of torture while in Russian captivity, Azov 1st Corps Deputy Commander Sviatoslav “Kalyna” Palamar announced on Facebook on May 22.

22 May, 04:50 PM

Ukraine preparing next stages of 1000-for-1000 swap — Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is already preparing the next stages of the 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange process with Russia.

17 May, 10:56 AM

Captured Ukrainian soldier persuades two Russians to surrender

A Ukrainian defender, mortarman Volodymyr Aleksandrov with the callsign Pozytyv, was captured by Russian forces at the end of January 2026, but the man convinced the Russians to surrender to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the soldier told public broadcaster Suspilne Khmelnytskyi on March 11.

11 March, 01:55 PM

About 7,000 Ukrainians are held in Russian prisons – Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said about 7,000 Ukrainians are being held in Russian prisons and are treated more harshly than foreign political detainees, he told Belarusian independent outlet Zerkalo on Feb. 23.

23 February, 04:52 PM

Former POW loses his child in overnight Russian attack - video

A man who recently returned home after three years in Russian captivity was severely injured in Russia’s mass attack on Zaporizhzhya, his seven-year-old son was killed, local media outlet wrote on Oct. 10.

10 October 2025, 11:50 AM

Nearly 90% of freed Ukrainian POWs report torture, OSCE report says

Russia’s systematic use of torture against Ukrainian prisoners-of-war is a violation of international humanitarian law, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said in a report released on Sept. 22.

27 September 2025, 02:13 AM

Freed Ukrainian journalist Khiluk recounts prisoner exchange

Dmytro Khiluk, a UNIAN journalist released from Russian captivity on Aug. 24, 2025, described how he learned he was being taken for a prisoner exchange, recalling that his name was announced among those to be “collected.” He shared his experience in an interview with the news agency UNIAN.

28 August 2025, 10:15 PM

Ukrainian soldier freed from Russian captivity returns home with his cat after 4 years together

Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Panchenko, freed in an Aug. 14 prisoner swap, returned home with his cat after 4.5 years in Russian captivity, Suspilne Poltava reported on Aug. 27.

27 August 2025, 02:16 PM

Six years in Russian captivity: women tell their story

Three civilian women from Donetsk, Yulia Panina, Maryna Bereznyatska, and Svitlana Holovan, captured by Russia in 2019, were released in a prisoner exchange on Aug. 14, 2025, and spoke to reporters about their captivity, hromadske reported on Aug. 22.

22 August 2025, 05:06 PM

Ukrainian marine shares horrors of Russian captivity

Andriy Kuzmin, a Ukrainian marine who joined the military in 2020, was captured by Russian forces near Mariupol during the ongoing war. He spent over three years in Russian detention facilities, where he lost nearly 40 kilograms. Kuzmin shared his story with public broadcaster Suspilne Vinnytsia on Aug. 18.

20 August 2025, 02:35 PM

Ukraine receives bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers, including five who died in captivity

Ukraine received the bodies of a thousand fallen soldiers, the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner Affairs reported on Aug. 19.

19 August 2025, 05:19 PM

How latest prisoner exchange happened — photos, videos

Ukraine secured the release of 84 citizens—33 soldiers and 51 civilians—through a prisoner exchange with Russia, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Aug. 14.

14 August 2025, 06:04 PM

Ukraine brings home 84 captives from Russian detention

Ukraine successfully brought back 84 people from Russian captivity through a new prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on X on Aug. 14.

14 August 2025, 05:17 PM

Kyiv says farewell to journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, killed in Russian detention

A farewell ceremony began in Kyiv for journalist Viktoriya Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity in the fall of 2024, NV correspondents wrote and published the photos on Aug. 8.

8 August 2025, 02:21 PM

UN rapporteur exposes Russia’s systemic abuse of Ukrainian POWs

Thousands of Ukrainians remain in harsh detention in Russia, Belarus, and occupied Ukraine, often deprived of legal aid, medical care, and basic needsUN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Edwards wrote in a column for The New York Times on Aug. 7.

8 August 2025, 09:01 AM

Zelenskyy posthumously awards Order of Freedom to journalist Victoria Roshchyna who died in Russian captivity

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posthumously awarded the Order of Freedom to Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity, according to a decree published Aug. 1.

2 August 2025, 02:16 PM

Ukrainian POWs from Mariupol and beyond return home

A new prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on Friday, June 20, with dozens of Ukrainian defenders returning home after more than two years in captivity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

20 June 2025, 02:52 PM

Soldier celebrating his birthday returns home after being freed from Russian captivity

Among the Ukrainian defenders who returned to their homeland from Russian captivity is a fighter whose birthday is today, as announced by Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, who also published footage of the return on June 19.

19 June 2025, 06:59 PM

Photos of Ukrainian defenders show torture after captivity

Photos of Ukrainian defenders who returned from Russian captivity are circulating online, with the first showing the men before torture and the second after. The photos were published on Facebook on June 16.

16 June 2025, 03:46 PM

Russian captivity

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