Eight Years of Captivity: Finding Freedom and Healing in Ukraine

Four years after Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine, many people are trying to overcome deep-seated trauma and rebuild what was lost.

For many, the trauma predates the Russian invasion and is linked to a conflict that began in 2014 in the south and east of the country, including the Donetsk region.

Yuri Shapovalov, who was living in Donetsk at the time and was being held by Russian-installed authorities, spent almost eight years in captivity. Now that he is free, he tries to restart his life.

‎“In a small cell I tried to do physical exercises,” Yurii said. “But mentally it was very difficult. The conditions were too tough to bear.”

Before the conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Yurii worked as a neurophysiologist at the Donetsk Regional Diagnostics Center.

In his spare time he ran the local Cactus Enthusiasts Society and cared for his elderly mother.

When pro-Russian forces took control of Donetsk, Yurii and his mother stayed. They couldn’t imagine leaving their home behind.

Recovery after detention

He started documenting daily life in Donetsk, a city in southern Ukraine, through an anonymous social media account. It was a small protest, but it came with a price. He was arrested in 2018.

“I was beaten and forced to work,” he said. For months his mother did not know where he was. Without support from home, he lacked basic necessities and recalled wearing winter shoes during the summer heat.

In 2020, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. “I told myself I had to keep who I was – don’t give in, don’t break, hold on,” Yurii said. ‎

There were losses he couldn’t prepare for. “My mother didn’t see me come back,” he said. “She died.”

Yurii also lost the life he had built. His extensive collection of cacti – something he had taken great care of – was left behind. Friends later moved it to the Donetsk Botanical Garden, hoping to preserve at least some of the plants. “By then, there was nothing left of my previous life.”

Customized help

In the summer of 2025, Yurii was finally released through a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.

After receiving first aid at a public hospital, he was referred to the hospital International Migration Agency (IOM) Protection Medical Rehabilitation Center in Kiev, a specialized facility providing care to survivors of human trafficking and gender-based and conflict-related violence.

There, doctors identified his urgent health needs and facilitated further essential cardiological and neurological treatments.

Since 2024 IOM Ukraine has identified and supported more than 4,700 survivors of war-related violence, including civilian captivity survivors like Yurii.

“Many require long-term treatment,” said Olha Shcherbatiuk, an official at the IOM National Rehabilitation Center.

In addition to medical care, IOM supports long-term recovery through survivor-led groups and national initiatives addressing war-related abuses.

Back to work

‘Maybe I’ve managed to keep myself,’ Yurii thought. But the effects remain. After years in captivity, everyday tasks became unfamiliar. “Using a phone, an elevator and even the subway felt difficult,” he explained.

His former colleagues, who had left Donetsk years earlier, were among the first to support him after his release, including by tracking down and verifying his education and employment records.

Only then can he follow further training and get back to work, hopefully as a pediatric neurologist.

When asked what brings him joy now, Yurii paused.

“I have a place of my own,” he said. “Time to be alone, to think, to put things in order,” and to take care of cacti again.