He managed to see his beloved’s eyes one last time before dying after being tortured. The story of Valery Zelenskyy, who was freed from captivity
Source: Suspilne
Authors: Anastasia Dashko, Vladislav Ukolov
He promised to return—and he did; he dreamed of raising his granddaughters and his long-awaited grandson. Valerii Zelenskyi, a native of Siversk and a soldier in the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, was returned to Ukraine from captivity as part of the “1,000 for 1,000” prisoner exchange. That was on May 25, 2025. Less than a month later, on June 16, his heart stopped—the 57-year-old man’s body could not withstand the torture, Valery’s daughter told Suspilne Donbas. He lived for his family; for three years, he believed his family was under occupation. While in captivity, he dreamed of seeing his beloved wife’s eyes—and he managed to do just that.
This is the story of a former police officer who stood up to defend Ukraine; it is the story of a military commander who was taken prisoner in the early days of the war; it is the story of the daily torture to which Valerii Zelenskyi was subjected throughout all 39 months of his captivity in Russian prisons. Valerii’s daughter shared this story about her father.
If you’d prefer to watch the video with subtitles in another language, go to YouTube Settings → Subtitles → Auto-translate and select the language of your choice.
Authors: Anastasia Dashko, Vladislav Ukolov
He promised to return—and he did; he dreamed of raising his granddaughters and his long-awaited grandson. Valerii Zelenskyi, a native of Siversk and a soldier in the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, was returned to Ukraine from captivity as part of the “1,000 for 1,000” prisoner exchange. That was on May 25, 2025. Less than a month later, on June 16, his heart stopped—the 57-year-old man’s body could not withstand the torture, Valery’s daughter told Suspilne Donbas. He lived for his family; for three years, he believed his family was under occupation. While in captivity, he dreamed of seeing his beloved wife’s eyes—and he managed to do just that.
This is the story of a former police officer who stood up to defend Ukraine; it is the story of a military commander who was taken prisoner in the early days of the war; it is the story of the daily torture to which Valerii Zelenskyi was subjected throughout all 39 months of his captivity in Russian prisons. Valerii’s daughter shared this story about her father.
If you’d prefer to watch the video with subtitles in another language, go to YouTube Settings → Subtitles → Auto-translate and select the language of your choice.
This is an automatic translation generated by DeepL.