Ukrainian soldier Valerii Zelenskyy, 57, has died less than a month after returning from Russian captivity, Suspilne reports.
He spent more than three years in Russian captivity. Upon returning to Ukraine, he received medical care. But his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he was eventually admitted to intensive care.
Doctors initially suspected pancreatic issues and began active treatment. Eventually, he underwent surgery, during which it became apparent that his internal organs were “falling apart.” He died on 16 June, which is less than a month after returning home.
“The first feeling is endless pain, because your beloved person is gone. He was simply tortured to death,” his daughter Valeria says.
She describes her father as a natural leader and an athlete. Before the all-out war, he had worked in the police, but later joined the military. While serving in the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, he was promoted to sergeant major.
When mass hostilities began, her father’s unit supported the defenders of Mariupol, including delivering weapons to them.
“When the assault started, they asked for volunteers. Eight of forty men stepped forward — my father was one of them. He was a sapper and had to mine a bridge,” she recalls.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces captured Valerii. The family only learned about his capture several days later. At the time, they were hiding in a basement in Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast under heavy shelling and had no quick mobile communication.
Upon his return, Valerii was filled with joy. Not only did he meet with his two granddaughters, whom he dreamed of raising, but he also discovered that a grandson had been born in his absence. When asked by doctors about suicidal thoughts, he replied that he had many reasons to live: “My children are waiting. The world is waiting. I have a whole life to live.”
“He came back without any muscles, too much time had passed. You have to understand, those men are literally on the brink of life and death in captivity,” his daughter says.
He told her, “Three of us died from torture. When I felt like I might not make it, I asked God: Please, just let me see the eyes of my beloved.”
According to his medical report, Valerii had suffered nearly every type of torture. He returned from Russian captivity with multiple injuries. One of his shoulders and an arm were no longer functional.