"Beaten for Every Ukrainian Word": The Story of Serhiy Marchuk, a Soldier from the Zhytomyr Region, Who Was Released from Russian Captivity
Source: Suspilne
Author: Oksana Kovalchuk
Serhiy Marchuk, a soldier with the 3rd Separate Tank Brigade from Zviahel, spent nearly two years in Russian captivity. His wife, Natalia Marchuk, spoke with Suspilne about how the family learned of his capture, waited for his release, and what the soldier himself went through.
According to Natalia, her husband worked as a construction worker before the full-scale invasion began.
“When the war began, he set up a shelter for us and the children in our house. On March 5, 2022, Serhiy voluntarily reported to the military registration and enlistment office. He served as a machine-gun platoon gunner in the 3rd Separate Tank Brigade. After mobilization, he underwent training and then fought on various fronts, including in Yahotyn. Later, they were redeployed to the border town of Velykyi Burluk in the Kharkiv region, and then to the Kupiansk sector,” said Natalia Marchuk.
Contact with Staff Sergeant Serhiy Marchuk was lost on March 12, 2024.
“He returned to the front from leave and called to say they were heading out to their positions. After that, contact was lost. I waited for three days and then started calling his commanders. They told me that he went missing after heavy artillery shelling. This happened near the village of Tabayivka in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region,” Natalia said.
According to her, for over two months, the family had no idea what had happened to Serhiy Marchuk. It wasn’t until May 21, 2024, that Natalia received a message from the International Committee of the Red Cross stating that Serhiy was being held captive by the Russians.
“For me, it was actually a relief, because I realized he was alive. At that time, after moving out to the front lines, he was the only one left alive from his unit,” said the soldier’s wife.
At first, the soldier was held in the Belgorod region of Russia, in Stary Oskol, and later he was transferred to the Kostroma region, to the city of Galich.
“It wasn’t until August 2025 that I saw a photo of my husband for the first time—the Russian side released it along with a list of about a thousand Ukrainian prisoners of war. The Russian side claimed at the time that Ukraine allegedly did not want to bring these soldiers home, that no one needed them. But it was then that I saw a photo of Serhiy for the first time and realized that he was alive and that he would definitely return. “It was a kind of euphoria—to see his face and know that he was alive,” said Natalia Marchuk.
Serhiy’s wife said that for nearly two years of waiting before prisoner exchanges, she dreamed of her husband.
“Before every exchange, I dreamed about Serhiy. And I’d tell the girls, ‘There’s going to be an exchange.’ They’d ask how I knew—maybe it was reported somewhere. But I’d say no, my husband just appeared in my dream. And for some reason, it turned out to be true so often,” the woman said.
According to her, she was especially looking forward to the exchange before New Year’s and in February 2026.
“I was really looking forward to it before New Year’s, but then the exchange was canceled. And in February, I was also really hopeful—I was very nervous and took it hard when they didn’t release him,” Natalia said.
On March 5, 2026, Serhiy Marchuk was released from captivity.
“This time, I had a lot on my plate at work; I was busy and didn’t even see any messages. When the Security Service of Ukraine called and said that Serhiy had been released, I simply couldn’t speak. I was in tears—it was a feeling that’s hard to put into words,” she said.
The couple has two daughters, ages 12 and 15. When their mother told them the news, the girls were at school.
“I didn’t wait for them to come home from school; I called them right away. My older daughter started crying too—we were just overwhelmed with emotion,” Natalia said.
The family has already spoken with Serhiy via video call.
“We talked on Viber—both me and the girls. He even said he didn’t recognize his daughters right away—they’ve grown so much and changed over the past two years,” she said.
According to Natalia, her husband is reluctant to talk about his experiences in captivity.
“He’s not the type to say much. While in captivity, Serhiy worked on construction sites all day long. The only remedy they had there for all illnesses was laundry soap. The hardest part of captivity, he said, was the psychological pressure. The captives were constantly told that no one was waiting for them in Ukraine and that upon their return they would be considered traitors. He says that when you hear the same thing every day for two years, sometimes you even start to have doubts. But when they were riding the bus after the exchange and saw people with Ukrainian flags joyfully welcoming them, they were overwhelmed with emotion. “In captivity, they were beaten for every Ukrainian word they spoke, but now Serhiy speaks purely standard literary Ukrainian—even better than I do,” Natalia added.
Serhiy Marchuk is currently undergoing rehabilitation after his captivity and is recovering at a medical facility.
Author: Oksana Kovalchuk
Serhiy Marchuk, a soldier with the 3rd Separate Tank Brigade from Zviahel, spent nearly two years in Russian captivity. His wife, Natalia Marchuk, spoke with Suspilne about how the family learned of his capture, waited for his release, and what the soldier himself went through.
According to Natalia, her husband worked as a construction worker before the full-scale invasion began.
“When the war began, he set up a shelter for us and the children in our house. On March 5, 2022, Serhiy voluntarily reported to the military registration and enlistment office. He served as a machine-gun platoon gunner in the 3rd Separate Tank Brigade. After mobilization, he underwent training and then fought on various fronts, including in Yahotyn. Later, they were redeployed to the border town of Velykyi Burluk in the Kharkiv region, and then to the Kupiansk sector,” said Natalia Marchuk.
Contact with Staff Sergeant Serhiy Marchuk was lost on March 12, 2024.
“He returned to the front from leave and called to say they were heading out to their positions. After that, contact was lost. I waited for three days and then started calling his commanders. They told me that he went missing after heavy artillery shelling. This happened near the village of Tabayivka in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region,” Natalia said.
According to her, for over two months, the family had no idea what had happened to Serhiy Marchuk. It wasn’t until May 21, 2024, that Natalia received a message from the International Committee of the Red Cross stating that Serhiy was being held captive by the Russians.
“For me, it was actually a relief, because I realized he was alive. At that time, after moving out to the front lines, he was the only one left alive from his unit,” said the soldier’s wife.
At first, the soldier was held in the Belgorod region of Russia, in Stary Oskol, and later he was transferred to the Kostroma region, to the city of Galich.
“It wasn’t until August 2025 that I saw a photo of my husband for the first time—the Russian side released it along with a list of about a thousand Ukrainian prisoners of war. The Russian side claimed at the time that Ukraine allegedly did not want to bring these soldiers home, that no one needed them. But it was then that I saw a photo of Serhiy for the first time and realized that he was alive and that he would definitely return. “It was a kind of euphoria—to see his face and know that he was alive,” said Natalia Marchuk.
Serhiy’s wife said that for nearly two years of waiting before prisoner exchanges, she dreamed of her husband.
“Before every exchange, I dreamed about Serhiy. And I’d tell the girls, ‘There’s going to be an exchange.’ They’d ask how I knew—maybe it was reported somewhere. But I’d say no, my husband just appeared in my dream. And for some reason, it turned out to be true so often,” the woman said.
According to her, she was especially looking forward to the exchange before New Year’s and in February 2026.
“I was really looking forward to it before New Year’s, but then the exchange was canceled. And in February, I was also really hopeful—I was very nervous and took it hard when they didn’t release him,” Natalia said.
On March 5, 2026, Serhiy Marchuk was released from captivity.
“This time, I had a lot on my plate at work; I was busy and didn’t even see any messages. When the Security Service of Ukraine called and said that Serhiy had been released, I simply couldn’t speak. I was in tears—it was a feeling that’s hard to put into words,” she said.
The couple has two daughters, ages 12 and 15. When their mother told them the news, the girls were at school.
“I didn’t wait for them to come home from school; I called them right away. My older daughter started crying too—we were just overwhelmed with emotion,” Natalia said.
The family has already spoken with Serhiy via video call.
“We talked on Viber—both me and the girls. He even said he didn’t recognize his daughters right away—they’ve grown so much and changed over the past two years,” she said.
According to Natalia, her husband is reluctant to talk about his experiences in captivity.
“He’s not the type to say much. While in captivity, Serhiy worked on construction sites all day long. The only remedy they had there for all illnesses was laundry soap. The hardest part of captivity, he said, was the psychological pressure. The captives were constantly told that no one was waiting for them in Ukraine and that upon their return they would be considered traitors. He says that when you hear the same thing every day for two years, sometimes you even start to have doubts. But when they were riding the bus after the exchange and saw people with Ukrainian flags joyfully welcoming them, they were overwhelmed with emotion. “In captivity, they were beaten for every Ukrainian word they spoke, but now Serhiy speaks purely standard literary Ukrainian—even better than I do,” Natalia added.
Serhiy Marchuk is currently undergoing rehabilitation after his captivity and is recovering at a medical facility.
This is an automatic translation generated by DeepL.
