Captured

Stories

“You cannot give up territory hoping that it will be the end of the war,” said pediatric doctor and Kremlin prisoner Yurii Shapovalov

Between Torture and Prayer: The Three-Year Captivity of Azovstal’s Only Chaplain

Archipelago of Torture, or How Russians Abuse Ukrainian Prisoners. Testimonies

“I Was a ‘Dead Ukrainian’ for the Russians: The Life of a 64-Year-Old Doctor, Antique Dealer, and Partisan from Donetsk, Held Captive for Seven Years.”

“Mom, thank you for saving Dad”: the story of a marine’s family who now believe in a New Year’s miracle

“Kh*khly, we’re already tired of beating you.” Azov fighter ‘Yuzhnyi’ on two years of torture in Taganrog, prisoners’ humor, and his own survival system.

“Relatives said: people like you should be wiped out.” The story of a woman who survived torture chambers and escaped twice from occupied Mariupol

Sviatoslav “Kalyna” Palamar on the Pokrovsk direction, the siege and exit from Azovstal, Olenivka, Lefortovo, and his time in Turkey

“I dream of living to see my grandson’s exchange.” The story of an Azov fighter’s family who have been waiting for him to return from captivity for three years

Izium, a hand with bracelets, Serhii Sova. The story of one photo and the life of a Hero of Ukraine executed by the Russians

“Stripping, rape, and ‘entertainment’ in the sauna: a conversation with a human rights defender about sexual violence and the path to punishing Russians

He calls torture a ‘spectrum of procedures’ and prison a ‘sanatorium.’ The story of a Kherson man who created the first male network of ‘graduates’ of torture chambers

Stanislav Aseiev: The fear of being captured again is greater for me than being killed in war

"The guys were burning, screaming, someone was torn in half." the Olenivka terror attack and life after it in the memories of azov fighters

“See you soon” and a life sentence: what it’s like to wait for a loved one from Siberia in the 21st century

A son and brother ‘reunited’ thanks to a YouTube video: how Russia hides Azov prisoners from the world

“Even darker horrors unfold in the torture chambers”: Azovstal defender “Nava” releases a book about captivity

He escaped captivity twice, but failed the third time. The story of a Mariupol defender who finally returned home

The real Sentsov. The story of a director and assault soldier with thick skin

“I remember the smell of burnt bodies and the glass wool falling on my skin like a thousand needles.” The story of Azov fighter “Kraft” who survived the Olenivka attack

“I consider this a God-pleasing cause.” The story of a chaplain and IT specialist from Luhansk who became an FPV drone operator.

“I miss his fried potatoes and the word ‘kitty’”: 5 stories about couples separated by captivity

“Now I will live for two”: the love story of Valeriia and Andrii, who married in a bunker at Azovstal

“There, on the little star – Kyrylo”: a mother’s story of surviving captivity and losing her soldier son

“They don’t consider you a human being”: stories of women who survived Russian captivity.

“I sometimes think of Oleksiy, ill and captive. Hope lingers, faint but alive.” — Remembering the Azov Soldiers Lost in Olenivka

“They told my mother that I am an enemy of the people,” – the story of the head of the Dvorichanska community, who spent nearly three months in captivity

“Not forgetting is not enough. I ask you to speak”: a wife’s story of an Azov fighter who survived the Olenivka attack.

"Azov" and "Azovstal, captivity, Olenivka, torture in a detention center, the exchange, and the first tiramisu in freedom — Svitlana Vorova (call sign ‘Hrazia’) speaks in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda about 11 months of Russian captivity.

We were given three books. One of them always had to be written by Lenin”: Azov fighter Yaroslav on Mariupol, captivity, and freedom

Torture and ‘Terrorism’ Cases: The Story of Mariupol Volunteers Released from Captivity in Olenivka

Doctor Hrabovskyi: The story of a medic from ‘Azovstal’ who is held in Russian captivity

“In that hell, she said goodbye to life more than once.” The story of a woman who returned from Russian captivity

She returned in her ninth month of pregnancy: the story of a medic released from Russian captivity

At any moment they could be ‘discarded’: how male prisoners survive in a filtration camp

The occupiers detained 33 volunteers and branded them ‘terrorists’. The stories of drivers who rescued people in Mariupol.

Declared missing, but held captive: the story of a 19-year-old marine defending Mariupol

"No replies to my messages": a love story torn apart by occupation and captivity