“The russians in the detention center tortured me with electric shocks just because I’m ukrainian,” – says freed prisoner of war and forester Andriy Tarasyuk

Andriy Tarasyuk has worked in the forestry sector for over 20 years. Before the war, he was a machine operator at the Starovyzhivske Forestry Management Subunit of the Kovelske Forestry Management Unit, SFE “Forests of Ukraine.” He lived a normal life with his wife and two sons.

After the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, as a reserve soldier, he received a call-up notice and joined the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade. He served in the engineering and sapper platoon, working on mining and building fortifications. His service took him across Volyn, Rivne, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions, helping to halt the enemy’s advance.

“When we were deployed to the Kupiansk direction, the situation gradually worsened. Most of Kharkiv region had been liberated, but on the other side of the Oskil River, the enemy felt secure. Many russian mercenaries regrouped there from the liberated territories. In May 2023, our positions were surrounded. Enemy assaults continued constantly. We ran out of ammunition. One day, russians stormed our position — they immediately shot two of my comrades and took the rest of us captive,” recalls Andriy.

The captured soldiers, with their hands and eyes tied, were taken to a nearby village. FSB officers arrived for interrogation.

“They asked if there were foreigners in our units, who my family was, and why I joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. When they got no useful information, they started torturing me with electric shocks.”

Later, the prisoners were transferred to the Belgorod region, to a large filtration camp surrounded by kilometers of barbed wire. There were more guards than prisoners. For several days, Andriy worked in a labor brigade — making furniture and unloading firewood without pay. He recalls that food was scarce — mostly instant potato powder.

“On June 27, we were transferred to a detention center. Once a week we were allowed to shower. For entertainment, they played russian news radio. They gave us ‘electrotherapy days’ — torturing us with electric shocks for no reason. Often, the guards were drunk. They said it was just because I’m Ukrainian — and that people like me shouldn’t exist.”

Andriy’s final destination in the endless chain of Russian detention centers was Smolensk region. There, he witnessed young Ukrainian soldiers — barely 20 years old — being beaten nearly unconscious.

“As cynical as it sounds, priests from the Russian Orthodox Church would visit us on religious holidays. They said they came ‘on assignment from Vladimir himself.’ They threw us a few Easter cakes and told us that suicide was a great sin.”

In May 2024, Andriy’s name appeared on the prisoner exchange list. When the freed Ukrainian POWs crossed the Belarus–Ukraine border on foot into the Chernihiv region, Andriy said he felt boundless joy — stepping onto Ukrainian soil again was like being born a second time.

Over the next few months, Andriy underwent rehabilitation in Vinnytsia and at the Volyn Regional Veterans Hospital. Throughout this time, his colleagues supported him — visiting the hospital, helping with treatment, and assisting his family. While he was in captivity, they provided his family with firewood for heating, repaired the roof of his home, and on Forestry Workers’ Day, his wife received his professional award in his name.

Now, his military unit has extended his leave for continued treatment, and demobilization may follow.

Andriy admits he can no longer perform heavy physical labor. He planned to return to the forestry enterprise after demobilization just to formally resign, though he dearly wishes to stay with his team. The Polissia Forest Office branch is ready to offer him another position.

Caring for demobilized soldiers will always remain a priority for SFE “Forests of Ukraine.”