Main points
- During the prisoner exchange on April 11, 175 servicemen were returned to Ukraine. Among them was Yevhen, whose mother was waiting for him.
- Yevgeny's mother received two letters from him from captivity, in which he asked to wait for him.
Mother welcomed her son back from captivity / Photo by Channel 24
During the new exchange on April 11, 175 servicemen were returned to Ukraine. Among them was Yevhen, whose mother was eagerly waiting for him.
She knew little about her son's enslavement, but she received two heartbreaking letters from him. Channel 24 presenter Sofia Troshchuk, who attended the prisoner-of-war exchange, told more about the emotional story.
“Spent my birthday in the Donetsk colony”
The mother of soldier Yevhen knew that her son was captured. He was fighting in the Donetsk direction, and when the Russians took him away, the phone turned on, so the woman had no doubt for a moment: her son was alive, but in captivity.
Yevhen is originally from Cherkasy region, volunteered for the war at the age of 22 and was already forced to spend his birthday in the Donetsk colony.
He received two letters from him. In the last one he wrote to me: “Mom, I can handle it, you just have to wait” – and that was it. I didn't know anything else,
– Yevhen's mother shared her difficult memories.
Fortunately, her son was returned from captivity. However, the woman assured that she will not leave her brigade. She will go on exchanges with other women who are waiting for the return of their relatives, because this is her family now.
The return of her son was a real emotional shock for the woman.
“This is my blood, I lived with it. I gave birth to him early – at 19, we breathed together. He just said that he had to go to war, he had to be there,” the woman added.
Other emotional stories of prisoner exchanges
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6-year-old Timofiy and his family were waiting for his uncle Vadim to return. The boy not only goes on exchanges, but also attends events in support of prisoners of war.
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Mrs. Kateryna saw her husband for the first time on February 24, 2022. After the defense of Mariupol, her husband Serhiy was captured. Fortunately, during the exchange on April 11, the soldier was returned home.
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Soldier Andriy had his limb amputated and spent more than six months in a hospital in Kursk. Despite the difficulties he has endured, the soldier assures that he is in a good mood, having returned to Ukraine. He may face a long road to recovery.