Scout returned from captivity, whose family had not heard from him for six months

The wife of the serviceman’s father, Liudmyla from Luhyn community in Zhytomyr region, told Ukrinform.

“Mykola went to war as a volunteer. His village of Ozera in the Bucha district was under occupation. He first helped the soldiers guarding the Antonov airport. Then he hid them at his home, and then joined the partisans, helping the Ukrainian army. Later, Mykola joined the Territorial center for recruitment and social support (TSC and SP), underwent training and became a scout. He performed missions in Bakhmut, Kramatorsk, Lyman, and Serebrianka Forest. On July 21, 2023, he and his comrades were captured in the Serebryany Forest,” Liudmyla said.

According to her, a few days later the family received information that Mykola had gone missing. In September, they saw a video of his interrogation on social media. Later, one of those released from captivity reported that Mykola was in the Sverdlovsk colony in the Luhansk region. In 2024, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that he was in captivity.

Since November 2024, his family has had no information about Mykola Naida’s whereabouts. A Ukrainian serviceman released from captivity told them that Mykola was taken from the Sverdlovsk colony in December 2024 in an unknown direction.

“Since then, we have been looking for Mykola. We contacted various organizations, I wrote an incredible number of letters to the Coordination Headquarters, the SSU, the ICRC, talked to the released prisoners, but there was no information about him. We were very worried about Mykola,” Liudmyla added.

On May 23, the woman received a call from the Coordination Center and was informed that Mykola had been released from Russian captivity.

The scout’s father was also at war. He retired from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in May 2023.

His parents are waiting for the serviceman at home.

As Ukrinform reported, 390 prisoners were returned to Ukraine as part of the 1000 for 1000 exchange.