Ukrainian Journalist Dmytro Khyliuk's Harrowing Three-Year Captivity in Russia

Tue Oct 21 2025 03:39:00 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Dmytro Khyliuk, a Ukrainian journalist, shares his experiences of brutal treatment during three years of captivity in Russian prisons, emphasizing the challenges faced by civilians amid the ongoing conflict.

After three and a half years in Russian captivity, Dmytro Khyliuk, a Ukrainian journalist, has been released. His account highlights the brutality faced by civilians and the ongoing issue of missing individuals in Ukraine. Despite his freedom, the emotional scars and the uncertainty surrounding many still detained weigh heavily on families, including those of over 16,000 missing civilians.

Since his release from a Russian prison, Dmytro Khyliuk has barely been off the phone. The Ukrainian journalist was detained by Russian forces in the first days of their full-scale invasion. Three and a half years later, he has been released in a prisoner swap, one of eight civilians freed in a surprise move.

While Russia and Ukraine have swapped military prisoners of war before, it is very rare for Russia to release Ukrainian civilians. Dmytro has been catching up frantically on all he missed. But he's also phoning the families of every Ukrainian he met in captivity: he memorised all their names and each detail. He knows that, for some, his call may be the first confirmation that their relative is alive.

There were celebrations last month when Dmytro was returned from Russia in a group of 146 Ukrainians. A crowd came out waving blue and yellow national flags, cheering as the buses carrying the freed men passed, hooting their horns. Most on board were soldiers with sunken cheeks, emaciated after their years behind bars. Officials won’t say exactly how they got the eight Ukrainian civilians back in the same exchange, only that it involved sending back in return people Russia was interested in.

Dmytro recounts chilling details of his captivity. They grabbed us and literally dragged us to the prison and on the way they beat us with rubber batons shouting things like, 'How many people have you killed?' he recalled. He faced constant cruelty, being bitten by dogs and beaten for no reason, and he was never charged with a crime.

Physically the first year was the hardest. He lost more than 20kg in the first few months and witnessed horrific treatment towards others, including soldiers who were tortured. The conditions were dire, especially during the early phases of conflict when starvation was rampant.

Dmytro's parents, Halyna and Vasyl, feared for their son's life during his lengthy ordeal, receiving only minimal communication throughout. Their world had changed drastically since the invasion; their home was affected by artillery fire, and they lived under the shadow of uncertainty. Dmytro's homecoming stirs a mix of joy and sorrow as families continue to await news of their missing loved ones amidst ongoing conflict.

As Dmytro transitions back into normal life, he reflects on the challenges of adjusting to a reality that has profoundly changed. I knew the war was still going on, but not that they were bombarding Kyiv with drones and that was unexpected and sad, he states.