A Ukrainian marine has revealed how he managed to survive for nine months behind enemy lines in Russia after he escaped captivity.
Marine Gennadyi Zelenyi fought to defend his hometown of Mariupol, in eastern Ukraine, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. Gennadyi had mentally prepared himself to die in the brutal conflict but he was instead captured by Russian forces who took the city in May, 2022.
But he managed to escape from captivity and spent nearly a year in hiding as he avoided Putin’s soldiers. In a shocking bid for survival the marine resorted to eating local dogs, drinking water from puddles and performed stitches on his own leg.
He recalled being unable to leave Mariupol after the city was besieged by Russian forces. He described the dire incident in an interview with CRAF Media: “Hell truly began when the KAB [Russian precision guided weapon] bombs started falling.
“I was in shock when I saw one hit a five-story building and completely obliterate it. That was one of the smaller KABs. Later, we heard they had orders to destroy the city, and KABs were flying everywhere.”
Gennadyi claimed to have befriended a 70-year-old comrade who showed up to defend the city with a pump-action shotgun and told him he had “nothing to lose.” He said the elderly man was “relentless” and was ready to “fight to the end.”
The marine watched his fellow defenders die one by one with some of his friends being executed by Russian soldiers. Despite this, Gennadyi said he was more terrified of being captured by the Russians.
During the siege, Gennadyi dressed in civilian clothes to make his way back to his flat that was “damaged but still standing” and joined others in the basement where they had been hiding. A man then came into the basement asking for help, claiming his family were inside a building on fire.
When Gennadyi left to go help, he was met by Russian troops before being brutally beaten. He claimed the soldiers had looted the area before taking him captive to an unknown location.
The soldier believed he was going to die but was instead forced to load dead bodies onto a truck before he was taken to a military HQ where he was tied up. But it was at that moment he plotted his escape.
He added: “By my estimation, I was there for three to four weeks. They tied me up, though not very tightly.” The marine continued: “I thought long and hard but eventually took the chance. I removed the tape from a shattered window and climbed down from the second floor.”
Gennadyi spent days without eating any food but eventually he found a can of dog food and drank water from puddles. He also found pliers to pull out a took that had been broken during his captivity. He then set about catching various animals to eat including pigeons and dogs.
Fortunately, the Ukrainian Navy eventually reached out to him after nine months with a “highly secret plan” to get him back into friendly territory. He added: “It took four days and over 1,000km (621 miles). Even now, I can’t believe I’m out. I’ll never stop thanking the Navy for this.”
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