95 kilograms – that was Roman Horilyk’s weight when he was taken prisoner. 50 kilograms – that was all he weighed when he returned home 27 months later. The 42-year-old National Guardsman from Ukraine’s Chernihiv region endured Russian captivity, starvation, torture, extreme exhaustion, and life without proper medical care. Roman fell into Russian hands in March 2022. He returned home only in May 2024, after 27 months in captivity. Once a strong man, he lost nearly half his body weight. A photograph of an emaciated Roman after his release spread around the world, becoming a horrifying testament to what Ukrainian POWs endure in Russian captivity. But captivity did not break him. Roman gradually began to recover. Kilogram by kilogram, his strength returned. Today, he weighs more than 80 kilograms and has one goal – to return to service. He has only one year until retirement and wants to spend it in uniform, alongside his brothers-in-arms. Roman calls the day of his release his second birthday. Until the last moment, he did not know he was going home. In his cell, Roman heard Russian guards reading the names of Ukrainian National Guardsmen who had served at Chornobyl. His name was among them. The prisoners were forced to record a propaganda video claiming they had no complaints against Russia. Then came bound hands, a bag over his head, and a journey whose destination Roman could only guess. “It was terrifying. They told us a plane carrying our guys had crashed. But through the bag, I could see the sun and clouds. Then I realized – we were landing. This was a prisoner exchange.” And then – Ukraine. In the Sumy region, people came out to welcome them, offering water, candy, and chocolate. Simple things, but after 27 months behind bars, they proved something far more important: people had been waiting for him. He had not been forgotten. Roman is home. But thousands of Ukrainian defenders remain behind Russian bars. Behind every one is a story, a family, and people waiting for their return. We must fight for every Ukrainian warrior until they come home. We do not forget our own. We do not leave our own behind. Source: translated from “Ukraine is Me”