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, collapsing into tears of joy. But the return has been bittersweet. His accounts of torture and mistreatment while in custody are chilling, reflecting the brutal reality faced by many civilians caught in the crossfire of war.
“They grabbed us and literally dragged us to the prison and on the way they beat us,” Dmytro described, asserting that he was transferred between multiple facilities where the cruelty was constant, including instances of being bitten by guard dogs. He was never charged with a crime.
The emotional fallout extends to his parents, who received scarce communication during his captivity. Dmytro managed to send a short note saying, 'I'm alive, I'm well. Everything's ok,' the only comfort they had as they endured the uncertainty of his status amidst the torment of gunshots and the disappearance of others detained with them.
As Dmytro reintegrates into the life he left behind, he confronts a reality still marked by the war. He reflects on the changed landscape, both physically and emotionally, wrestling with the trauma of his experiences and the ongoing danger facing others in Ukraine.
Authorities report that over 16,000 civilians remain missing, with the fate of many still unknown, presenting a heart-wrenching narrative of lost lives and unresolved grief amidst the broader context of the conflict.
