‘Torture and Executions’: A Ukrainian Border Guard’s Tale of 18 Months in Captivity
Vyacheslav, a Ukrainian border guard, shares his harrowing account of 18 months of torture, executions, and inhumane conditions in Russian captivity.
The young man volunteered to defend Ukraine in the first days of Russia’s invasion. In civilian life, he was a metal worker, working at a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia.
In late April 2022, Vyacheslav and his fellow troops found themselves surrounded and captured by Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian border guard says the captives dealt with brutal beatings as Russian soldiers kicked them and hit with rifle butts. During the interrogation that followed, a Russian army officer shot them in the legs, and later intimidated them while they were down on the floor bleeding. After the officer put out a cigarette on Vyacheslav’s ear, he went on to shot other POWs.
Three of the captives died there. The Russian officer aimed his hand gun at Vyacheslav, and only faulty ammunition saved the Ukrainian captive’s life.
In March, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission unveiled a report on torture and executions of Ukrainian POWs that paints a dark picture of the crimes commited by Russian troops in Ukraine.
BEVZA unveils a new Christmas decoration full of meaning – a tribute to generational memory expressed through five spikes of wheat, a timeless symbol of the Ukrainian nation’s resilience.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.
A kamikaze drone flies directly toward an armored personnel carrier. But instead of penetrating the hull, it explodes on a steel screen. The crew survives. This is the new reality for Ukrainian forces, who have received enhanced protection thanks to the Metinvest project within “Steel Front of Rinat Akhmetov”.