Since his release from a Russian prison, Dmytro Khyliuk has barely been off the phone. The Ukrainian journalist was detained by Russian forces in the first days of their full-scale invasion. Three and a half years later he's been released in a prisoner swap, one of eight civilians freed in a surprise move. While Russia and Ukraine have swapped military prisoners of war before, it is very rare for Russia to release Ukrainian civilians.
Dmytro has been catching up frantically on all he's missed. But he's also phoning the families of every Ukrainian he met in captivity: he memorised all their names and each detail. He knows that for some, his call may be the first confirmation that their relative is alive.
There were celebrations last month when Dmytro was returned from Russia in a group of 146 Ukrainians. A crowd came out waving blue and yellow national flags, cheering as the buses carrying the freed men passed hooting their horns. Most on board were soldiers with sunken cheeks, emaciated after their years behind bars. Officials won't say exactly how they got the eight Ukrainian civilians back in the same exchange, only that it involved sending back in return people Russia was interested in.
Dmytro's first phone call was to tell his mother he was free. Both his parents are elderly and unwell, and his greatest fear had been never seeing them again. He recalls, The hardest was not knowing when you'll be allowed back. You could be freed the next day or stay prisoner for 10 years. Nobody knows how long it's for.
Dmytro's account of captivity is chilling. They grabbed us and literally dragged us to the prison and on the way they beat us with rubber batons shouting things like, 'How many people have you killed?' he said. He shared how he was bitten by a guard dog, left bleeding, and that he was never charged with any crime.
The journalist lost more than 20kg in the first few months in prison and had to witness the torment suffered by soldiers around him. They would call them for interrogation, and they were beaten and tortured with electric shock, Dmytro shared.
After enduring the trauma of captivity, Dmytro will soon reunite with his family. His mother, Halyna, jokes about the long list of jobs for her only son to fix all the damage done by the Russians. But the emotional scars from his ordeal run deep. I can't control my emotions, she said, breaking down in tears. Dmytro is taking time to adjust after returning to a home and country that have changed significantly amid the war.
Dmytro has been catching up frantically on all he's missed. But he's also phoning the families of every Ukrainian he met in captivity: he memorised all their names and each detail. He knows that for some, his call may be the first confirmation that their relative is alive.
There were celebrations last month when Dmytro was returned from Russia in a group of 146 Ukrainians. A crowd came out waving blue and yellow national flags, cheering as the buses carrying the freed men passed hooting their horns. Most on board were soldiers with sunken cheeks, emaciated after their years behind bars. Officials won't say exactly how they got the eight Ukrainian civilians back in the same exchange, only that it involved sending back in return people Russia was interested in.
Dmytro's first phone call was to tell his mother he was free. Both his parents are elderly and unwell, and his greatest fear had been never seeing them again. He recalls, The hardest was not knowing when you'll be allowed back. You could be freed the next day or stay prisoner for 10 years. Nobody knows how long it's for.
Dmytro's account of captivity is chilling. They grabbed us and literally dragged us to the prison and on the way they beat us with rubber batons shouting things like, 'How many people have you killed?' he said. He shared how he was bitten by a guard dog, left bleeding, and that he was never charged with any crime.
The journalist lost more than 20kg in the first few months in prison and had to witness the torment suffered by soldiers around him. They would call them for interrogation, and they were beaten and tortured with electric shock, Dmytro shared.
After enduring the trauma of captivity, Dmytro will soon reunite with his family. His mother, Halyna, jokes about the long list of jobs for her only son to fix all the damage done by the Russians. But the emotional scars from his ordeal run deep. I can't control my emotions, she said, breaking down in tears. Dmytro is taking time to adjust after returning to a home and country that have changed significantly amid the war.
