Home after prisoner swap, Croatian soldier says he was beaten in Russian captivity

FILE PHOTO: Croatian national Vjekoslav Prebeg, who was captured by pro-Russian forces while allegedly fighting for Ukrainian troops during Ukraine-Russia conflict, stands inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Donetsk, Ukraine August 15, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

ZAGREB (Reuters) - A month has passed since Vjekoslav Prebeg was freed from Russian captivity in a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia, and the 40-year-old Croatian still looks shaken as he recounts his experiences.

A soldier by profession, Prebeg said he went to Kyiv in December 2019 because he wanted to help Ukraine in its eastern war against pro-Russian separatists, and later signed up to join the Ukrainian army in May 2020.