Zhenia Melnyk

Inside a Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camp, the war captivity stories of Russia’s foreign fighters unfold with a mix of defiance, regret, and denial. These men came from Somalia, Egypt, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and beyond—drawn by promises of passports, salaries, and futures Russia could never deliver.

Andrii, a paratrooper from Ukraine’s 79th Air Assault Brigade, spent over a year in Russian captivity. Tortured, starved, and left with scars both visible and invisible, he returned home thanks to a prisoner exchange in May 2025. Here’s his story.

Three years into the largest war since World War II, Europe stands divided: those bordering Russia and Belarus see the threat firsthand, while others may still treat it as just Ukraine’s problem. Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis explains why Western hesitation only emboldens Russia—and what must be done before it’s too late.

In May 2024, President Zelensky y signed a bill allowing convicts to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This created huge enthusiasm among existing brigades—for months, recruitment officers were rushing from prison to prison to hire potential warriors. We traveled to Donbas to meet one of the new battalions, consisting mostly of ex-convicts.