These photos show Ukrainian soldiers after Russian capture. It was our most difficult shooting in the last six months. After meeting and talking with the boys, we could not recover from what we saw and heard for a week.

We publish these shots with the permission of the boys themselves. I remember how one of them told me: we must do everything so that this never happens again, with others.

But everything repeats itself, every day. Many more of our people remain in Russian captivity. And there is no end to it.

Some of these photos went to Switzerland for the Peace Summit, where the issue of exchanging all for all was raised. We hope that these documentary portraits of those who have passed through the worst hell will encourage our partners to act decisively, at least on this issue.

We cannot repeat what we heard from the boys. But these photos speak for themselves. And this despite the fact that by the time of our meeting, the boys had gained 10 kg of weight in a week at home. To understand what it is like to lose 40-50 kg of weight (that’s how much they lost during captivity) - look at the pictures where the guys show their photos on the eve of captivity.

But what is important - they failed to break. And this was repeated by each of them: I was not hacked. We spoke with the doctors at the rehabilitation center where the boys were at the time of our meeting. According to them, most of those who have been captured recover over time. The first weeks on the native land are a state of euphoria from the realization that they survived. In such a case, in addition to really professional rehabilitators with an incredibly humane attitude towards the boys, professional psychologists also work with them.

It has already been said many times, but we will repeat it here one more time. The twenty-first century, the center of Europe, the age of cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence. And right here and now, the biggest genocide since the Second World War is taking place. These photos are proof of that.

Libkos for @gettyimages

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8UDBQrIcdP/?igsh=b3VjNXd1czh6Njhi

  • khannie@lemmy.worldEnglish
    47·
    5 months ago

    This picture from that set really got me.

    In my youth I used to have to “make weight” for fights so you naturally start doing the numbers with food about 6-8 weeks out and you become used to gaining and losing weight and have an understanding of the discomfort that’s involved. You also become good at eyeballing people for their weight class.

    That man in the picture on the phone was a chonk (not being offensive here, he was a big lad). He looks over 90KG to me and a lot of it is muscle (edit: that’s 200lbs in freedom units). His biceps and triceps are big. He’s a strong man.

    The man holding the picture of his former self has been starved. Your body uses fat stores for energy, but it needs more than just energy. You need vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids.

    If you’re using it in any way, your body will generally hold onto muscle unless there’s a shortfall in essential amino acids and at that point it looks at your muscles as reserves.

    That is what happened here. He was given so little food that all his fat reserves were used and so little nutrition that his body ate it’s muscle to survive.

    • kamenLady.@lemmy.world
      28·
      5 months ago

      Look into his eyes. I don’t see the eyes of a broken soul, i see optimism and a sane mind. This man also has immense will power.

      I really don’t know how well i would handle being forced to fight in a war, being held captive or killing any human. I don’t know how much of my mind would make it out sane.