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When people learn how Russian forces treat Ukrainian prisoners of war, they are shocked, says Arseniy Fedosiuk, a member of the Ukrainian Azov brigade and a former prisoner of war. Currently, he and his wife are in the United States. In the following, he tells about what he and other Ukrainians experienced at the hands of Russian forces after being taken as prisoners of war.
On June 11, Ukraine and Russia exchanged about 200 prisoners, including Ukrainian soldiers who fought at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Arseniy Fedosiuk fought at the Azovstal plant, was captured by Russian forces in May 2022 and released seven months later.
"People are shocked when I tell them what our fighters looked like after they were freed by the Russians."
Currently, he and his wife Yulia Fedosiuk are in the United States and are speaking out about the brutal treatment of Ukrainians captured by Russian forces.
“The feeling of hopelessness, knowing we can't save them and there's nothing I can do. We had high hopes for evacuation, for extradition to a third country".
After being captured, Fedosiuk and other fighters were taken to a prison outside the village of Olenivka in the Donetsk region, where he says they were interrogated and tortured. In July 2022, a prison fire killed more than 50 people.
Ukrainian Yulia Fedosiuk says she tried desperately to learn about her husband's fate.
"There was no way to communicate with them. All we had was a video of the burning corpses. Some women recognized their loved ones among the dead."
"Based on the list, all those from the Azov brigade were placed in the industrial part of the prison. Three days later, they carried out an explosion at night while the prisoners slept. As a result of the explosion, over 50 people lost their lives and the rest were injured," says Arseniy Fedosiuk, a former prisoner of war.
Those who survived, including Mr. Fedosiuk, were sent to other prisons.
"During the day we were not allowed to lie down or sit on the bed. The food, about 600 calories a day, was just enough to keep the breath alive."
Eventually, he returned to Ukraine at the end of December 2022 and was hospitalized in Sumy.
"Outwardly, he looks healthy. But he has problems with his stomach, back and legs", says his wife.
After he finishes his medical treatments and recovers, Mr. Fedosiuk plans to return to the front line. The couple is currently in the United States to try to draw international attention to Russia's treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russia holds about 700 Ukrainians from the Azov battalion who fought for the defense of Mariupol as prisoners of war./VOA
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