A 33-year-old Ukrainian soldier, Vladislav, survived an extraordinary ordeal after being captured by Russian forces near Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, in early August 2025. Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne reported that his throat had been slit and thrown into a pit with 7 dead Ukrainian soldiers to die. According to Sergii Ryzhenko, director general of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Clinical Hospital, he crawled for 5 days to survive. Due to injuries, he is unable to speak. He is now receiving treatment in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

At the start of August, Ukraine lost control of a position near Pokrovsk. Trying to help his comrades, Vladislav was captured.

“First, he was caught by one group, and then they were taken to a basement. There were completely different soldiers there. There were two of them, and they tormented the prisoners,” said Viktoriia, Vladyslav’s wife.

According to the report, which quoted Vladislav’s brother, Yevhen, Russian prisoners of war underwent demonic torture like eyes being gouged out, lips and genitals being cut off, ears and noses being mutilated.

According to a report from Ukrainian news portal Ukrainska Pravda, he was thrown in the pit thinking dead, along with garbage. he managed to escape using a glass from a broken bottle. He managed to crawl despite his injury by tying a cloth around his neck and reached the Ukrainian lines on August 17.

Vladislav has a four-year-old daughter, and he reportedly plans to move back to the front line after he recovers.