Ukrainian soldier Pavlo Turchyn of 46th Brigade returns home
Thirty-eight-year-old serviceman Pavlo Turchyn from the Ternopil region has returned to Ukraine after spending nearly two and a half years in Russian captivity.
His sister, Olha Palamar, shared the story with an Ukrinform correspondent.
“Pavlo was captured on December 14, 2023, in the Donetsk region. He went on an assault mission with his comrades, and all contact with him was lost. We received a notification that my brother was missing in action. Only five months later were we informed that he was being held captive,” Olha said.
Turchyn joined Ukraine’s defense during the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Pavlo used to say: ‘If I don’t go and fight, then who will defend the country and my children?’ He has always had a strong patriotic conviction,” said Svitlana Dovbenka, the village elder of Staryi Skalat.
For a long time, the family had no news about Pavlo. That changed almost two months ago, when a fellow serviceman named Volodymyr, who had shared a prison cell with him, was released from captivity on April 12.
“He told us that my son was alive and doing well. They were being held in Russia’s Volgograd region. We spoke with Volodymyr for a long time and asked him many questions about Pavlo. Since then, we have stayed in frequent contact,” said Pavlo’s mother, Maria Turchyn.
Maria admits that prayer and support from relatives and fellow villagers helped her endure nearly two and a half years of uncertainty.
“My son often appeared in my dreams. Recently, I dreamed that he stepped out of a vehicle, came up to me, knelt down, and hugged me. He also appeared frequently in the dreams of other villagers. Whenever we met, they would tell me about it. We wrote a letter to Pavlo as well, but we do not know whether he ever received it,” she recalled.
Throughout her brother’s captivity, Olha regularly participated in rallies supporting prisoners of war and attended meetings organized by Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
“We have already seen my brother in a video. Now we are eagerly waiting for his phone call. We are so happy that we will soon be able to embrace him,” Olha said.
According to Taras Pastukh, three residents of the Ternopil region returned home as part of the latest prisoner exchange: Volodymyr Zvarych from the Chortkiv district, and Oleksandr Rempa and Pavlo Turchyn from the Ternopil district.
As reported by Ukrinform, 186 Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity on June 5.
Photos from the family archive