After more than two years in captivity by Russian occupiers, Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist from the UNIAN agency, who had been held as a civilian hostage since March 2022, has returned to Ukraine. This was reported by the Institute of Mass Information, writes UNN.
Details
Journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, abducted by Russian military at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, has finally returned home as part of a new prisoner exchange. His release was reported by the Institute of Mass Information, citing its own sources.
Khyliuk's captivity began on March 3, 2022, when Russian occupiers seized him in the yard of his own house in Kozarovychi, Kyiv region. Initially, he was held in occupied Dymer, and later transported to Russia.
According to human rights activists, the journalist was held in a pre-trial detention center and, likely, in a penal colony in the Vladimir region. Officially, Russian authorities never recognized him as a prisoner of war. However, in response to his father's request, Moscow even referred to the Third Geneva Convention, which specifically applies to military personnel.
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings regarding the abduction of civilians from the Dymer community, where Khyliuk and his father are listed as victims.
The Institute of Mass Information reminds that Dmytro Khyliuk became the third journalist released from Russian captivity. The first was Nariman Dzhelyal, who returned to Ukraine in June 2024, and the second was Maksym Butkevych, released the same year.
Thus, the story of the UNIAN journalist is another confirmation that Russia continues to systematically take Ukrainian civilians hostage, disregarding international conventions. At the same time, his return has become a symbol of hope for those whose relatives are still in Russian torture chambers.
Recall
The Russian Ministry of Defense claims an exchange of prisoners of war with Ukraine under the "146 for 146" formula. The exchange list also includes eight residents of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.