Ukraine: Release from Russian Captivity
Freed women relate stories of violence, starvation and emotional abuse.
Also see
Ukraine: War Trains
Railway employees continue their long, dangerous journeys to bring Ukrainians to safety.
Ukraine: Giving Birth Under Fire
Maternity wards have been among the hundreds of healthcare facilities struck since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine: Bulletproof Vests for Children
Mini-kits intended to keep kids safe on the frontline.
Ukraine: Release from Russian Captivity
Freed women relate stories of violence, starvation and emotional abuse.
Russian proxies captured Lyudmila Huseynova in 2019. A civilian, she was bringing humanitarian aid to orphaned children in Novoazovsk, a border town on the south-eastern tip of Ukraine, in the occupied territory of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. She spent three years in captivity.
Huseynova was released on October 17 with another 107 civilians and servicewomen in a prisoner of war swap. Ukraine and Russia exchanged 218 people in one of the largest deal on POWs since the full-scale invasion began.
Dozens of the women had been captured after surrendering at the siege of the Azovstal steel factor in the southern city port of Mariupol, which ended in May. The former prisoners, who did not know about the release until the last minute, told stories of starvation and abuse.
