Ukraine brings home soldier held in Russian captivity since 2017 in prisoner exchange: "Like dream, I can’t believe I’m home". VIDEO
During today’s prisoner exchange, Ukraine brought home a soldier who had spent almost nine years in Russian captivity, having been held since 2017.
The ArmyInform media outlet reported this, according to Censor.NET.
Text accompanying the video
(Video transcript)
The video published by ArmyInform captures the first remarks made by the freed Ukrainian prisoner of war immediately after the exchange on 19 August. Draped in a blue-and-yellow flag over his camouflage clothing, the man stands against the backdrop of a military bus and a wooded landscape. The footage shows a brief conversation with a journalist who asks the soldier follow-up questions about how long he had been held captive.
When asked whether he had been in captivity since 2022, the soldier corrects the journalist: "No, not since 2022. I have been [in captivity] since 2017." This means that the man spent almost nine years in captivity, long before the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The service member also briefly describes his emotional state in the first moments after his release.
Freed soldier’s words
Draped in a blue-and-yellow flag, the Ukrainian shared his first impressions of returning home.
"Like a dream. I can’t even believe I’m home," the soldier said.
He clarified to journalists that he had been held captive since 2017, rather than since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The service member also admitted that he could not contain his emotions when he was reunited with his people.
"I shed a tear when we arrived," he said.
Background
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that another prisoner exchange between Ukraine and the Russian Federation took place today, 19 August 2026.
- The Coordination Headquarters said that those freed from Russian captivity included soldiers, sergeants and several officers. Most are wounded or seriously ill.
