A Ukrainian soldier who survived a Russian POW Camp: The Story of Bogdan Zarytsky Part 1

History in the Making: The War in Ukraine

What's it like to be a Ukrainian prisoner of war held in Russian captivity? How do you survive the torture and beatings?
This the story of Bogdan Zarytsky, a soldier of the Azov Battalion.
In this first part of our interview, we discuss Bogdan's life as a soldier before the full-scale invasion in February 2022, then fighting in Mariupol and the Azovstal complex upon Russia's full-scale invasion, and finally his captivity in Russia's POW camp in Olenivka. Hear how Bogdan survived it all: the deaths of his fellow soldiers, the beatings, the starvation, the extreme weight loss, the lack of energy, the lack of hope. Even amid all this suffering, there were moments of inspiration and love. Listen to this podcast to find out.
Note that this is Bogdan's first time discussing his experience in English. These are terribly difficult topics to discuss for him, much less not in his native language. This episode is a tribute to Bogdan's courage.
Bogdan Zarytsky, Soldier of Azov Battalion. Born in Sumy, Ukraine, Bogdan joined the military in 2015 and later the Azov Battalion. After fighting in Mariupol at the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Bogdan then fought in Azovstal and was taken into Russian captivity for several months. He was then released in a prisoner exchange in late 2022 and has since been living in Kyiv with his wife and their child.
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