Border guard Vitaliy Suprun survived 21 months of abuse in Russian captivity. He ended up there during the defense of Mariupol in April 2022. And only on January 3 of this year did he escape from the hell of enemy prisons and dungeons, when the largest exchange of prisoners of war during the full-scale invasion took place.
The enemy did not break him, although they abused him regularly. Not only physically, but also psychologically, using various methods.
How he ended up captured
Border guard Vitaly Suprun — 32 years. Of these, he has been in the army for 13 years. After military service, he immediately signed a contract and ended up in the Donetsk border detachment, which was stationed in Mariupol. There the great war found him.
Currently watching Live ICTV Live Related materials Zelensky on the G7 summit: We will sign security agreements with the US and Japan
Peace in Ukraine without NATO membership: the US explained what Biden meant
The Russian Federation used starvation tactics during the siege of Mariupol: lawyers in a submission to The Hague
Online map of military operations in Ukraine: where the fighting is taking place as of 06/13/2024
Profit from Russian assets, meeting between Zelensky and Biden: what will be discussed at the G7 summit and what to expect for Ukraine
Photo: from the archive of Vitaly Suprun
— On the night of February 24, 2022, I was in the unit. In the morning, planes began to fly, and air strikes took place on the city and surrounding areas. Accordingly, everyone was put on alert. A full-scale war has begun, — the fighter remembers.
The border guards heroically repelled the enemy attack and held the line for more than a month. Many of Vitaly’s brothers-in-arms died then. Our military was continuously attacked from everywhere. On April 12, 2022, when all possibilities had been exhausted, they were captured.
— Mariupol was surrounded on all sides. The troops of the aggressor country entered the city. There were street fights. We had attempts to break through, to enter the controlled territory of Ukraine. But all our attempts were unsuccessful. We were captured by the enemy, — says Vitaly.
He clearly, day by day, remembers his entire journey in captivity. At first, the Russians kept him along with our other captives for several days in the vicinity of Mariupol, and then took him to the dungeons of Donetsk Olenovka.
— I think you know what kind of detention place is there… From April 17 to April 29 we were in Olenovka.During this time, guys from other units were brought there — National Guard, Marine Corps, State Border Guard Service and other armed formations. KamAZ trucks and buses arrived and took the prisoners out of prison. Everyone thought it was for an exchange. But, as it turned out, we were taken to dungeons in Russia, — the border guard recalls.
Photo: from the archive of Vitaliy Suprun
Photo: from the archive of Vitaliy Suprun
Photo: from the archive of Vitaliy Suprun
Photo: from the archive of Vitaliy Suprun
Four Russian colonies during almost two years of captivity
The prisoners were brought to Taganrog. In the cell was a book on History of the Middle Ages for 6th grade with a stamp from the local library. This is how the border guard accidentally found out which city he was in.
— They didn't tell us where they had taken us. Prison workers are not allowed to tell us where we are. Yes, we couldn’t communicate with each other, — Vitaly says.
On May 17, the prisoners were raised in the morning and taken to the airfield. When we boarded the plane, the thought of the expected exchange flashed through my head again.
— Our hands and feet were tied, our eyes — tied. We were transported by plane to another airfield. Because we heard military planes, jets, landing and taking off. Then we were transported for some time in paddy wagons. To another prison. And only two months later we found out that we ended up in the village of Novozybkov, Bryansk region. I, and many other guys, stayed there for one year. On May 12, 2023, we are woken up early in the morning and taken out again in paddy wagons. Where — unclear. As it turned out later, there were 114 of us in total at that time, — says the prisoner.
They were brought to a penal colony in the Republic of Mordovia. It was here and in Taganrog that it was the worst. The prisoners were beaten for a long time and several times a day. They took everyone out of the cells and abused them in the corridor.
In total, Vitaly Suprun spent 21 months in Russian captivity. In inhumane conditions. He did not break and retained his dignity. The abuse that the enemy inflicts on our soldiers there makes your blood run cold. The prisoners are forbidden to communicate with each other and are forced to stand motionless all day.
— They beat us all over. They beat us with sticks, and truncheons, and used shockers, and dogs. Well, there was enough of everything… You stand from 6 am to 10 pm. You stand there all day, unwavering. You can only go to the toilet with permission. Or by general command. And you can drink water the same way, only when they allow you to, recalls Vitaly Suprun.
Prisoners were forced to read propaganda books. They were kept in dungeons without heat, hot water or normal food. They were given one minute to eat.
— There were no spoons in the prison. There was one mug for everyone. So, to drink water. For 8 guys, one roll of toilet paper, a small one. Toothpaste — only 30 g. And this is for the eight of us, for a week. And a small bar of soap, like a pack of gum. The food was bad. They collected the dishes so quickly that in a minute they had to eat the first and second, which were poured together in one bowl. And it was necessary to return the dishes washed… We learned to share the crumbs we received. We are Ukrainians! We won't get lost anywhere. We will adapt even to such conditions! — says the hero.
Executioners in Russian prisons are beating Ukrainian soldiers to death, trying to pin on them all the crimes that Russia has committed on our soil.
— All the destruction, looting, and murder that the Russian Federation did, they now want to blame on the Ukrainian military. They break people mentally, beat them until the person confesses to one or another so-called crime. And if you broke down and “took” one murder on yourself, then many more will be pinned on you, — says Vitaly.
Photo: our website
For almost two years of captivity, Vitaly visited four prisons on the territory of the aggressor country. Thoughts about his family and inner willpower helped him survive and not break. He constantly encouraged himself and did not give up.
— I understood that I was alone here and no one would help me except myself. And if I wind myself up, become depressed, eat myself from the inside — it will be even worse. So I started to tune myself to the idea that I needed to somehow survive this time. I won't be in captivity for long. It will pass quickly, — the border guard shares.
Vitaly — is a bachelor, has parents and a younger sister and brother. He is from the Zaporozhye village of Lyubimovka, which has long been occupied. His relatives managed to leave there. They found out that he was alive and in captivity six months later.
— I was out of touch with them the whole time. They were looking for me everywhere. And in one of the telegram channels in the temporarily occupied territories, my photo appeared with information. That such and such was in captivity. Where exactly, they did not specify. That's how my relatives found out that I was alive, — says the military man.
Release from captivity and rehabilitation
Vitaly escaped from the hell of enemy prisons and dungeons only on January 3 of this year, when the largest exchange of prisoners of war took place during the full-scale invasion. Together with him, more than 230 soldiers and civilians were then released. The fighter, having set foot on his native soil, immediately called his mother. He hadn't heard her voice for almost two years.
Photo: from the archive of Vitaly Suprun
— The only number I remembered was my mother's number. I dialed her: “Mom, hi. I told you that I would call”. Those emotions cannot be conveyed now, — says the man.
In captivity, Vitaly lost 30 kg. After medical examination and rehabilitation, he returned to service. In the Mukachevo border detachment he is now a signalman — Telecommunications Systems Group Officer, Communications Department. Now he is undergoing adaptation after the exchange. When it is completed, the fighter is again ready to take up arms and go to defend his homeland.
Photo: our website
— We need to restore our health a little and gain weight. Calm down a little and then you can go into battle again. I don’t have that: no, I won’t go. I will go! This is my duty, I swore an oath to the Ukrainian people! — Border guard Vitaly Suprun says confidently.
