Ukrainian soldier reveals brutal ordeal in Russian captivity
Vladyslav Zadorin, a 25-year-old soldier in the Ukrainian Marine Corps who defended Snake Island in 2022, shares his harrowing account of the inhuman torture he experienced during nearly two years in Russian captivity. He is determined to let the world know the truth about the fate of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
At a meeting with journalists in Warsaw, Zadorin recounted his arrival on Snake Island at the beginning of January 2022. Previously, he had fought in battles in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. On February 24, unaware of the onset of a full-scale invasion, he and other soldiers witnessed Russian ships bombarding the island. After a heroic fight, running short on ammunition and facing overwhelming enemy forces, they were captured along with 80 others.
“By evening, we were prisoners. In Ukraine, it was believed that we had all perished,” he recalled. For 679 days, he endured unimaginable physical and psychological torture.
One of the most harrowing experiences was when prisoners were subjected to industrial dryers where they were heated. Many did not survive these tortures. “Before being captured, I weighed 265 pounds, and after I was released, just 132,” Zadorin said.
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This is how the Russians treated Ukrainian prisoners
The living conditions were appalling. Prisoners were forced to eat moldy bread, and in desperation, caught mice or ate toilet paper. The Russians used propaganda, compelling them to read falsified versions of Ukrainian literature that depicted Cossacks as Russian soldiers.
The guards tried to extract confessions about alleged ties to NATO. Through staged executions and torture, they wanted to prove the captured soldiers were not Ukrainians but citizens of Western countries. — In prisons like Kursk, Taganrog, or Rostov-on-Don, prisoners faced not only torture — he recounted.
Despite the inhumane treatment, Zadorin did not lose faith in humanity. He fondly remembers Russian prisoners who left him a pack of cookies as a small gesture of support. After three months of rehabilitation in Ukraine and Lithuania, he now shares his experiences to draw attention to the situation of Ukrainian prisoners and the brutality of the Russian regime.
