Paratrooper from Zhytomyr region returns from captivity after being missing for one year

His mother, Svitlana Tarasiuk from the village of Vilnianka in the Korostyshiv community, Zhytomyr region, shared the news with an Ukrinform correspondent.

“My son is 42 years old. Dmytro took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in 2014, after which he was demobilized. At the start of the full-scale invasion, he joined the Territorial Defense Forces and later enlisted in the 95th Brigade. He was captured on May 25, 2022, in the Kharkiv region. At first, he was listed as missing in action, and we filed a search request,” Svitlana said.

Later, the family came across a video of Dmytro on social media, confirming that he was in captivity. In May 2023, the International Committee of the Red Cross officially confirmed his status to the family.

During his time in captivity, Dmytro managed to send only one letter to his family, while they sent him three. He was also allowed one phone call with his wife.

“All of those calls made by our prisoners to their families were very similar, as we later learned. They were forced to say that their relatives should take action because Ukraine allegedly didn’t want to exchange them. It was all done to create destabilization,” Svitlana said.

Previously released Ukrainian soldiers told Dmytro’s family that he had been held in a prison colony in Kineshma, Ivanovo region, Russia, and that he had also been transferred to other facilities.

“On June 19, I got a call informing me that our son had returned to Ukraine. Then Dmytro himself called and said, ‘I’m finally home.’ He still can’t fully process that he’s back in Ukraine. Right now, he’s undergoing medical treatment,” the soldier’s mother added.

Waiting for Dmytro at home were his parents, wife, and son.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 19 that another group of Ukrainian defenders had been returned from Russian captivity. Most had been imprisoned since 2022.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine