The story of the Ukrainian taxi driver who was kidnapped.
While Russia claims that it only targets Ukrainian military infrastructure and soldiers, the testimonies of Ukrainian civilians prove the exact opposite.
The last one is Mykhailo Orlovskyi, who was kidnapped by the Russians while working as a taxi driver in his native Ukraine.
He was captured by the Russians in March, held for two days in a hole deep in the mountains, and then transferred by helicopter to a prison in Russia.
There he was beaten and tortured in the worst possible way – even all his belongings were taken from him – starting from his identification documents to his mobile phone and wedding ring.
However, he was lucky enough to return to his family as he was part of the exchange of Russian prisoners with Ukrainian ones. What pleases him the most is the fact that his release happened on the day his mother had her birthday.
He says he feels luckier to still be alive, and even often visits the place where he was occupied by Russian forces. However, many Ukrainians did not have his fate, as nothing is known about their fate.
Orlovskyi claims that hundreds of civilians have been taken by the Russians and sent to prisons in Russia. The camera inside his Mercedes captured the moment when the Russians stopped him.
After his release, he went to the place where he was taken and found the few pieces of metal from his burnt car.