During our 26 months in captivity, we didn’t make plans—we dreamed. “Umpa” proposed to his beloved immediately after being taken prisoner.
Source: Svoi.City
Author: Hanna KURTSANOVSKA
I found a family in “Azov”; unfortunately, many of my comrades fell in Mariupol
Ilya holds a degree from Kharkiv University of Construction and Architecture. His major is civil architecture. Ilya says it’s a field with good prospects, but he chose the army instead.
I wanted to serve, so in 2018 I transferred to a part-time program on a contract basis and went to Kyiv
“I was already familiar with Azov’s ideology; in Kharkiv, I was an active participant in the ‘Azov’ movement. So the question of which unit to join never even came up. I didn’t even consider any other options. In my opinion, ‘Azov’ was a unique combat unit before the full-scale invasion, and what I saw after my captivity didn’t change my mind,” he noted.
A platoon was formed in the third company from the guys with whom “Ump” had completed the Basic Fighter Training Course.
“That’s how we ended up in the first battalion. I served as a machine-gunner for two years, and at the start of the invasion, I was a rifleman and grenade launcher operator. In “Azov,” I found a family and met some awesome guys; unfortunately, many of them are no longer with us—they fell in the battles for Mariupol,” said “Ump.”
Love on New Year’s
Margarita and Ilya met through a mutual friend when he was already serving. Margarita says they started chatting on social media, and when she was hospitalized, “Ump” supported her from afar.
“We met for the first time when Ilya came home to Kharkiv on leave, and after that we started talking even more. Then I invited him to celebrate New Year’s 2021 with my friends. Our first kiss was on January 4—the day our relationship began,” Margarita shared.
It was her mother’s birthday
the day before the invasion At the start of the major war, “Ump” was in Mariupol with his comrades from his battalion. He says they understood the situation was tense, but no one expected it to be on such a scale. The day before the invasion, Ilya even managed to send his documents to Kharkiv. However, Margarita was only able to pick them up at the post office a month later—and even then, only by using her connections—because the carrier’s offices in Kharkiv were still closed at the time.
“The day before the invasion was Ilya’s mother’s birthday, and we celebrated as a family. Ilya called to wish his mom a happy birthday. I was supposed to go home, but at the last minute I decided to stay at Ilya’s place, where we later heard the first explosions,” Margarita recalls.
That day, Ilya transferred money to his mother for a gift—she wanted a gold bracelet. And she wore that bracelet without taking it off for the entire 2.5 years that her son was in captivity. But what is most precious to Iryna are her son’s childhood photos and drawings.
The war brought together the women most dear to Ilya
After 4 a.m. on February 24, the first explosions rang out in Kharkiv. Ilya’s mother lived in the area that came under attack from the very first day. So she and her family took shelter in a bunker.
“There was absolutely no communication; we could only talk when she came up to the surface for a few minutes. We live in a residential area, and we were lucky because everything that was flying by passed us by. So it was relatively calm in our little corner.
I remember one of our conversations when Ilya’s mom said she wanted an apple. And we had everything in our cellar: lots of preserves and apples. So I invited them over to our
place “We lived together for about a month: me with my parents, Ilya’s mom, his grandmother, and her brother and his wife,” Margarita said.
She says the war brought them even closer together. Even in peacetime, they got along well and supported each other when Ilya would travel from Kharkiv to Mariupol after his vacation. They grew even closer in their fight to free their son and beloved. And toward the end of March, the women most dear to Ilya finally left Kharkiv for a safe place.
He wished his beloved a happy birthday, then silence for 2.5 years
On May 7, Ilya wished his beloved a happy birthday. To connect to the internet and send the message, “Ump” had to go to a nearby bunker at Azovstal—which was extremely risky at the time. And then—silence. Until the prisoner exchange.
“Ump” didn’t tell his family that he’d been taken prisoner. They found out about it from the news. They carefully examined the videos and photos, trying to spot Ilya in them. A few weeks later, they received official confirmation—Ilya was being held captive by the Russians.
“As soon as the full-scale war began, Ilya told me: ‘Imagine we have children—twins. I’ve left, and you’re left with them—they’re your mother and mine. And you have to take care of them.’ And I think that this phrase put all my emotions and worries ‘on hold,’ because I had to take care of our mothers,” Margarita said.
He spent 10% of his life
in captivity The defender of Mariupol “celebrated” his 23rd birthday in Olenivka. Ilya turned 24 at the Horlivka penal colony. And he celebrated his 25th birthday at the correctional colony in Kirovsk.
While in captivity, he didn’t make any plans. Because plans are goals you work toward to achieve. But there, we dreamed
“There was plenty of time to reflect on my life and my actions—what I’d managed to do and what I hadn’t. But you can’t bring back the past. I really regretted the time I’d lost. I’m 25 years old; I spent 26 months in prison, which is 10% of my life. A terrible figure. In May 2022, my life was put ‘on pause,’ and in September 2024, it continues…,” said Ilya.
A week before the prisoner exchange, they were interviewed. There was only one question: “Are you staying or going in the exchange?” And on Friday, September 13, around 10 a.m., Ilya and the other guys were transferred to another barracks.
“There, we changed into camouflage uniforms, and they sent us to a cage on the street to wait—it’s the area between transport stages. We sat there all day. A prison official approached us several times and told us that we were being put up for exchange, then that we weren’t, then that negotiations were underway, then that the exchange had fallen through—it was all very confusing. The last time he came over, he said that the “Voronok” would come for us at six in the evening, and then we’d be flown out. But personally, I didn’t feel anything after hearing that. I decided to myself: it’s too early to celebrate until I see the Ukrainian flag,” “Ump” shared.
The wedding will be later; right now, the main thing is rehabilitation
Five days after the exchange, Ilya bought a wedding ring. And he proposed to Margarita on September 28.
“Right after the exchange, I mentioned several times that we should do a photo shoot. Ilya wasn’t very enthusiastic about my idea because he doesn’t like having his picture taken. But on that very day, September 28, he said he’d booked a photo shoot. I was surprised, but I didn’t suspect a thing. We drove together to our favorite spot. Olya was taking pictures of us, and then Ilya said he needed to run back to the car. At that moment, Olya was photographing me and positioning me so that my back was always turned toward Ilya.
Then, at some point, she turned me around, and I saw my beloved holding a bouquet of roses. He asked me to be his wife and slipped the engagement ring
onto my finger.
By the way, his mom helped him pick out the ring and figure out the size. I found that out later,” Margarita said.
There’s no specific wedding date yet. But Ilya and Margarita definitely plan to get married next year. Their mothers are eagerly awaiting that day. In the meantime, “Ump” is undergoing rehabilitation, as the years in captivity have taken a toll on his health.
Author: Hanna KURTSANOVSKA
I found a family in “Azov”; unfortunately, many of my comrades fell in Mariupol
Ilya holds a degree from Kharkiv University of Construction and Architecture. His major is civil architecture. Ilya says it’s a field with good prospects, but he chose the army instead.
I wanted to serve, so in 2018 I transferred to a part-time program on a contract basis and went to Kyiv
“I was already familiar with Azov’s ideology; in Kharkiv, I was an active participant in the ‘Azov’ movement. So the question of which unit to join never even came up. I didn’t even consider any other options. In my opinion, ‘Azov’ was a unique combat unit before the full-scale invasion, and what I saw after my captivity didn’t change my mind,” he noted.
A platoon was formed in the third company from the guys with whom “Ump” had completed the Basic Fighter Training Course.
“That’s how we ended up in the first battalion. I served as a machine-gunner for two years, and at the start of the invasion, I was a rifleman and grenade launcher operator. In “Azov,” I found a family and met some awesome guys; unfortunately, many of them are no longer with us—they fell in the battles for Mariupol,” said “Ump.”
Love on New Year’s
Margarita and Ilya met through a mutual friend when he was already serving. Margarita says they started chatting on social media, and when she was hospitalized, “Ump” supported her from afar.
“We met for the first time when Ilya came home to Kharkiv on leave, and after that we started talking even more. Then I invited him to celebrate New Year’s 2021 with my friends. Our first kiss was on January 4—the day our relationship began,” Margarita shared.
It was her mother’s birthday
the day before the invasion At the start of the major war, “Ump” was in Mariupol with his comrades from his battalion. He says they understood the situation was tense, but no one expected it to be on such a scale. The day before the invasion, Ilya even managed to send his documents to Kharkiv. However, Margarita was only able to pick them up at the post office a month later—and even then, only by using her connections—because the carrier’s offices in Kharkiv were still closed at the time.
“The day before the invasion was Ilya’s mother’s birthday, and we celebrated as a family. Ilya called to wish his mom a happy birthday. I was supposed to go home, but at the last minute I decided to stay at Ilya’s place, where we later heard the first explosions,” Margarita recalls.
That day, Ilya transferred money to his mother for a gift—she wanted a gold bracelet. And she wore that bracelet without taking it off for the entire 2.5 years that her son was in captivity. But what is most precious to Iryna are her son’s childhood photos and drawings.
The war brought together the women most dear to Ilya
After 4 a.m. on February 24, the first explosions rang out in Kharkiv. Ilya’s mother lived in the area that came under attack from the very first day. So she and her family took shelter in a bunker.
“There was absolutely no communication; we could only talk when she came up to the surface for a few minutes. We live in a residential area, and we were lucky because everything that was flying by passed us by. So it was relatively calm in our little corner.
I remember one of our conversations when Ilya’s mom said she wanted an apple. And we had everything in our cellar: lots of preserves and apples. So I invited them over to our
place “We lived together for about a month: me with my parents, Ilya’s mom, his grandmother, and her brother and his wife,” Margarita said.
She says the war brought them even closer together. Even in peacetime, they got along well and supported each other when Ilya would travel from Kharkiv to Mariupol after his vacation. They grew even closer in their fight to free their son and beloved. And toward the end of March, the women most dear to Ilya finally left Kharkiv for a safe place.
He wished his beloved a happy birthday, then silence for 2.5 years
On May 7, Ilya wished his beloved a happy birthday. To connect to the internet and send the message, “Ump” had to go to a nearby bunker at Azovstal—which was extremely risky at the time. And then—silence. Until the prisoner exchange.
“Ump” didn’t tell his family that he’d been taken prisoner. They found out about it from the news. They carefully examined the videos and photos, trying to spot Ilya in them. A few weeks later, they received official confirmation—Ilya was being held captive by the Russians.
“As soon as the full-scale war began, Ilya told me: ‘Imagine we have children—twins. I’ve left, and you’re left with them—they’re your mother and mine. And you have to take care of them.’ And I think that this phrase put all my emotions and worries ‘on hold,’ because I had to take care of our mothers,” Margarita said.
He spent 10% of his life
in captivity The defender of Mariupol “celebrated” his 23rd birthday in Olenivka. Ilya turned 24 at the Horlivka penal colony. And he celebrated his 25th birthday at the correctional colony in Kirovsk.
While in captivity, he didn’t make any plans. Because plans are goals you work toward to achieve. But there, we dreamed
“There was plenty of time to reflect on my life and my actions—what I’d managed to do and what I hadn’t. But you can’t bring back the past. I really regretted the time I’d lost. I’m 25 years old; I spent 26 months in prison, which is 10% of my life. A terrible figure. In May 2022, my life was put ‘on pause,’ and in September 2024, it continues…,” said Ilya.
A week before the prisoner exchange, they were interviewed. There was only one question: “Are you staying or going in the exchange?” And on Friday, September 13, around 10 a.m., Ilya and the other guys were transferred to another barracks.
“There, we changed into camouflage uniforms, and they sent us to a cage on the street to wait—it’s the area between transport stages. We sat there all day. A prison official approached us several times and told us that we were being put up for exchange, then that we weren’t, then that negotiations were underway, then that the exchange had fallen through—it was all very confusing. The last time he came over, he said that the “Voronok” would come for us at six in the evening, and then we’d be flown out. But personally, I didn’t feel anything after hearing that. I decided to myself: it’s too early to celebrate until I see the Ukrainian flag,” “Ump” shared.
The wedding will be later; right now, the main thing is rehabilitation
Five days after the exchange, Ilya bought a wedding ring. And he proposed to Margarita on September 28.
“Right after the exchange, I mentioned several times that we should do a photo shoot. Ilya wasn’t very enthusiastic about my idea because he doesn’t like having his picture taken. But on that very day, September 28, he said he’d booked a photo shoot. I was surprised, but I didn’t suspect a thing. We drove together to our favorite spot. Olya was taking pictures of us, and then Ilya said he needed to run back to the car. At that moment, Olya was photographing me and positioning me so that my back was always turned toward Ilya.
Then, at some point, she turned me around, and I saw my beloved holding a bouquet of roses. He asked me to be his wife and slipped the engagement ring
onto my finger.
By the way, his mom helped him pick out the ring and figure out the size. I found that out later,” Margarita said.
There’s no specific wedding date yet. But Ilya and Margarita definitely plan to get married next year. Their mothers are eagerly awaiting that day. In the meantime, “Ump” is undergoing rehabilitation, as the years in captivity have taken a toll on his health.
This is an automatic translation generated by DeepL.