A 23-year-old defender of Mariupol named Valeriy, who was recently released from russian captivity, has not seen his relatives since the exchange.
He was born in the currently occupied territories of Zaporizhia region, so he does not know the fate of his relatives or who he could call!
This was reported by journalist Yulia Surkova.
The man asked the journalists to tell a girl named Ruslana, who lives somewhere in Ukraine and whom they knew before the captivity, that he is alive.
“I’m going to cry now… Now I have a new task – to think up something to dream about again. For 3 years and 3 months, I dreamed of one thing – to be free,” says Valeriy.
Tags: EMPR Projects frontline story mariupol personal story pow Russian captivity Ukraine Ukraine defense war hero



![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron speaking during their meeting in Paris to align on air defense and diplomatic strategy ahead of Coalition talks. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}](https://empr.media/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/macron-300x156.png)











![Ukraine Armed Forces personnel using digital logistics system screens in operations center, managing supplies and procurement in real time. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}](https://empr.media/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/afu-1-300x200.png)