How To Support Ukrainian POWs And Their Families

‘Russian guards would have been happy to torture us’: Ukrainian prisoner of war who remained silent for a year in detention

22-year-old Ukrainian soldier Yuriy Gulchuk was held as a prisoner of war in Russia for more than two years

How To Support Ukrainian POWs And Their Families

Author, Zhanna Bezpyachuk

Position, BBC Ukraine

Location

Kyiv

Pros

1.Psychological Control  

Remaining silent could have been a way for the POW to maintain a sense of autonomy and resist attempts to break their will or extract information. This shows mental discipline and a refusal to cooperate with the captors.  

2.Protecting Sensitive Information  

If the POW had valuable military or strategic knowledge, silence would prevent accidental disclosure during intense interrogation or psychological manipulation.  

3.Defying the Enemy

Silence can act as a form of passive resistance, symbolizing defiance and a refusal to be subjugated, which may inspire others.  

4.Preventing Self-Incrimination 

In high-stakes situations, saying anything—even unintentionally—could lead to severe consequences or being misinterpreted. Staying silent avoids this risk.  

5.Emotional Shielding

Not engaging in dialogue with captors could limit emotional exploitation, as interrogators often use personal conversations to uncover vulnerabilities.  

Cons

1.Physical and Psychological Suffering  

Refusing to speak could provoke harsher treatment, including more severe torture, as captors may interpret silence as defiance or guilt.  

2.Missed Opportunities for Negotiation 

Communication could potentially open avenues for better treatment, exchange, or release. Silence may close off these possibilities.  

3.Isolation

Silence can deepen feelings of isolation, as the prisoner would not connect with captors or other prisoners, which could affect mental health.  

4.Risk of Misjudgment 

Captors might interpret silence as arrogance or rebellion, leading to greater hostility or misinterpretation of intentions.  

5.Long-Term Trauma  

The psychological toll of enduring imprisonment without speaking could result in long-lasting emotional scars or difficulty reintegrating into normal life after release.  

‘I was deeply hurt to learn how many people spent so much time and effort to get me out of Russian captivity.’

22-year-old Ukrainian soldier Yuriy Gulchuk was held as a prisoner of war in Russia for more than two years. He spent 30 months in Russian captivity from April 2022 to September 2024, during which he was transferred from one prison to another, where he also suffered torture and inhuman treatment.

He says that for almost a year in captivity, he maintained complete silence, which gave him mental and physical security.

He remained silent even after returning home. After his release, a video of him also appeared on the Internet, in which his mother Milana is holding him to her chest and kissing his face.

The first words Yuri’s mother heard after his release were: “Why do people treat each other so cruelly? Why is there so much pain here?”

In order to get Yuri to say a few words, Milana repeatedly convinced him, “We love you, we love you.”

Later, explaining his silence, Yuri said that he was not in the mood to speak at the time.

The first words Yuri’s mother heard after his release were: “Why do people treat each other so cruelly? Why is there so much pain here?”

Historic day

Yuri joined the Ukrainian Marines on January 24, 2022, just two weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On that day, Yuri was in the Ukrainian city of Merv.

“When we woke up, we heard a loud noise. The windows on the ground floor were broken. We thought it was an explosion coming from the front line.”

But a few hours later it became clear that a full-scale war had begun.

Yuri was taken into custody by the Russian army about two months after the war began.

“I was thinking that the history books should write that it all started in Merovech that day, and that I was there in Merovech that day,” Yuri says.

“But I had no idea what was going to happen to me in the future.”

Yuri was taken into custody by the Russian army about two months after the war began.

‘Getting pleasure from hurting people’

Recalling his days in prison, Yuri told the BBC that “the treatment we received depended on who was on shift that day.”

“There were some guards who tortured all the prisoners. Other guards would ask which prisoners were over 50 or who were sick or injured. These people were spared. But there were some wardens who clearly took pleasure in hurting people.’

In October this year, Volker Turk, the head of the UN Human Rights Commission, warned that the Russian military was torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war in a ‘systematic’ manner.

His statement was based on the stories of 174 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were subjected to constant torture while in custody.

These Ukrainian prisoners of war were electrocuted, beaten, sexually assaulted, deprived of sleep and threatened with further torture.

In June this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that there were 6,465 Ukrainian prisoners in Russian custody. 

In August this year, Daniel Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, revealed that 95% of prisoners of war detained by Russia had been tortured.

On October 29, a commission of inquiry told the UN in a report that the torture by Russia amounted to a “crime against humanity.”

In October, Ukrainian prosecutors launched an investigation and alleged that Russian forces had “mass-murdered” prisoners of war, with 16 people being shot in one such incident.

Russia has yet to comment on the UN reports or the allegations of torture and murder of prisoners of war.

In June this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that there were 6,465 Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian custody.

However, according to an estimate by the Ukrainian NGO Media Initiative on Human Rights, about 10,000 Ukrainian military personnel are being held as prisoners of war in Russian custody.

Ukraine says it has managed to free a total of 3,650 soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity.

‘My silence was necessary’

Yuri lost about 20 kilograms during his detention, but he was sure that one day he would be able to breathe freely.

He not only dreamed about his parents and childhood, but also planned for his future. During this time, he spent most of his time completely silent.

‘I went into silence myself. It was not at all like I decided one day that I would be silent from today onwards.’ My silence was necessary.’

When he was being released in exchange for the release of Russian prisoners, he initially did not believe that he would be released so soon.

Yuri and other Ukrainian prisoners of war were released in September this year.

They thought that perhaps the Russian military was playing another ‘mind game’ with them. They had talked about release several times in the past, but at that time they were actually transferring prisoners of war from one prison to another.

According to Yuri, the prisoners were even more tortured in these places.

That is why on the day of Yuri’s release, he was not preparing to meet his parents, but was preparing himself to endure more torture, pain and humiliation.

He and other Ukrainian prisoners of war were taken to Belarus, a neighboring country of Russia, which also shares borders with Ukraine. At this point, they were allowed to remove the cloth from their faces and were also given rations, chocolate, crackers and biscuits for the journey ahead.

Yuri says that everything “seemed strange.”

Yuri thought that he was being played a joke, but when he saw his mother and other family members waiting for him and smiling, he was convinced that this was not a dream but a reality.

Return to life

After his release and return to his family, Yuri was initially unable to speak.

“It wasn’t just a matter of using his throat to speak,” he says. “But to speak again, to mumble or to scream, I had to convince my brain because it was so weak. I needed to revive it.”

It took Yuri several days to convince himself that he was free.

Yuri says: ‘I convince myself that my time in prison was not wasted at all.’

Yuri says he wants to watch all the films that were released during his imprisonment, listen to new music and ride an electric bike.

He plans to return to the university in Kiev, where he studied before the war.

Yuri says: ‘I convince myself that my time in prison was not wasted at all. Maybe I’m comforting myself, but I would still like to say that I learned something from this whole experience.’

‘I was lucky to survive, not everyone was so lucky.’

Related topics

#Violence #Ukraine #Ukraine_Russia_conflict #Russia