As part of the 1,000 for 1,000 prisoner exchange, two volunteers from Berdychiv, Zhytomyr region — Oleksandr Trushevskyi and Vladyslav Kondratiuk — have returned home from Russian captivity. Both served in the 139th Battalion of the 115th Territorial Defense Brigade and were captured together.
The news was shared with a Ukrinform correspondent by the soldiers’ mothers.
“My son, Vladyslav Kondratiuk, took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in 2015–2016. When the full-scale war began, he volunteered for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 139th Battalion of the 115th Territorial Defense Brigade and was captured near Kupiansk on March 27, 2023. I learned about it when I saw a video on social media. At first, he was listed as missing, and in October 2023, the Red Cross confirmed he was in captivity,” told Liudmyla Nazarchuk, Vladyslav’s mother.
Vladyslav managed to send just one letter home during his imprisonment. The family later learned about his condition from other freed POWs. He returned home on May 23, and his mother received the good news through a volunteer who then handed him the phone.
On May 25, Oleksandr Trushevskyi, born in 1986, was also released. He had been captured alongside Vladyslav.
“My son went to war as a volunteer. He also served in the 139th Battalion. We learned he was captured when we saw him in a video online,” said his mother, also named Liudmyla.
She shared that the family had received two identical letters from Oleksandr in a single envelope, followed by another one a year later. They later found out he had sent five letters in total during his captivity.
“We didn’t know if our son would be released this time. The first two days were full of anxiety, and then we assumed he wouldn’t be among those returning. But on May 25, I got an SMS saying he had been exchanged. I didn’t believe it until the Coordination Headquarters called. Then our son called and the first thing he said was, ‘Mom, I’m back in Ukraine,’” Liudmyla said emotionally.
Both soldiers are now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, on May 23, 390 Ukrainian POWs were returned as part of the 1,000 for 1,000 exchange agreement reached during Istanbul negotiations on May 16.
On May 24, 307 more Ukrainian soldiers were released, and on May 25, 303 Ukrainians returned home in the third phase of the exchange.
First photo: Security Service of Ukraine
Source: Two Ukrainian defenders released after being captured together
