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 here 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. '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 his 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, describing his transfer to Russia. He was held in multiple facilities with constant cruelty. 'Sometimes they'd let the guard dog off its leash so that it could bite us. The cruelty was really shocking and it was constant.' He tells of being bitten and left bleeding without charges ever being presented against him.
Physically, the first year was the hardest. 'We were starving. We were given very little food for a long time,' he recalls. He lost more than 20kg in the first few months, causing him dizzy spells. The conditions for soldiers he was held with were even worse. As he recuperates at a Kyiv hospital, Dmytro's family faces the long and painful wait for their loved ones still missing in the conflict.
Across Ukraine, over 16,000 civilians are currently missing, with Moscow not publishing lists due to the illegal nature of detaining civilians without cause. Dmytro's account brings attention to the urgent issue of civilian captives, many of whom remain unconfirmed and unheard from, while he and his family plan for the future so long awaited.
There were celebrations here 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. '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 his 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, describing his transfer to Russia. He was held in multiple facilities with constant cruelty. 'Sometimes they'd let the guard dog off its leash so that it could bite us. The cruelty was really shocking and it was constant.' He tells of being bitten and left bleeding without charges ever being presented against him.
Physically, the first year was the hardest. 'We were starving. We were given very little food for a long time,' he recalls. He lost more than 20kg in the first few months, causing him dizzy spells. The conditions for soldiers he was held with were even worse. As he recuperates at a Kyiv hospital, Dmytro's family faces the long and painful wait for their loved ones still missing in the conflict.
Across Ukraine, over 16,000 civilians are currently missing, with Moscow not publishing lists due to the illegal nature of detaining civilians without cause. Dmytro's account brings attention to the urgent issue of civilian captives, many of whom remain unconfirmed and unheard from, while he and his family plan for the future so long awaited.
