Mariia Pylnyk, 29, who tries to learn anything she can about her husband who went missing from the frontline, for the last two years, from those released during prisoners of war (POWs) swaps, speaks during an interview, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv, Ukraine June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Vlad Smilianets
CHERNIHIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - When gaunt Ukrainian soldiers dismount from buses as part of prisoner swaps with Russia, Mariia Pylnyk tries to find out anything she can about her missing husband from the freed men, and hopes, just maybe, that he will be among them.
Holding up a photograph of Dmytro Pylnyk, lost in action in early 2023, she has many questions. What happened to his unit when it was ambushed by Russian forces? Was he captured by Russia? Could he eventually be released?
