Ukrainian soldier Roman Savkov was captured after he had been wounded in action near the town of Krasnohorivka; he was imprisoned in a penal colony in the Russian-occupied town of Makiyivka and did not receive needed diabetes treatment.
Private First Class from the Ukrainian 92nd brigade Roman Savkov, 29, has been released from captivity in Russian-occupied Donbas.
Read alsoPrisoners swap: Woman pardoned by Poroshenko handed over to occupied Donbas
Savkov lost 30 kg within two months, from 80 kg to 50 kg because of his disease, which was caused by stress and bad conditions in the penal colony.
Insulin for him was smuggled into the occupied Makiyivka through civilian volunteers, the captive survived thanks to that medication, the TV news service TSN reported.
Conditions in the colony were terrible, he said. The lack of hygiene and bedbugs were worst of all, he added. He is now dreaming of getting home in Vinnitsa region as soon as possible, where he will take care of his health.
Savkov was exchanged for a woman who was imprisoned in Ukraine for 12 years for the murder of two Ukrainian National Guard members. She has recently been pardoned by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to facilitate the swap of detainees with the occupied Donbas.
"The other day [Poroshenko] pardoned one criminal to get one soldier freed. This time they released Roman. He will now undergo treatment at a military hospital. And we continue fighting for others," Gerashchenko added.