Kyiv: About two years ago Russia attacked Ukraine. Russian forces surrounded Mariupol, destroying much of the city and turning it into the deadliest battlefield of the conflict.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old border guard Ilya Muzyka was arrested by Russian forces in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. A few weeks later, his fiancée Alina Panina was also captured as a prisoner of war (POW) in the same city. Both were together since 2019. Ilya Muzyka thought he would never meet his fiancée again, but time is very powerful.
Both are now trying to rebuild their lives in western Ukraine. Pnina said that the Russians treated them harshly. Recalling the scene, he says he was lied to and told that the defeated Ukraine was divided between Moscow and Europe. Panina was released in the southern region of Zaporozhye in October 2022. Meanwhile, she doesn't know what happened to her fiancé. He was released on January 3 after more than a year.
Recalling his story, Mujika said that he was kept in a camp in Russia. During this period, he lost weight due to not getting proper food. Ukrainian officials estimate that approximately 8,000 Ukrainians, both civilians and military, are held captive by Russia. This included most of the armed forces. Note that Moscow does not provide overall statistics on the number of Russians held hostage by Ukraine.
According to news agency Reuters, both of them met once again in Kiev. Let us tell you that both were planning to get married in March 2022, but Mujica and Parina have decided to cancel their wedding. Both need time to recover from the Russian conflict.