08:30, 30.07.2026

18 min.4525UNIAN

Former prisoner of war Serhiy Skotarenko told UNIAN in an interview how he ended up in Chechnya and why Chechens treated Ukrainians better than Russians.

A resident of Zaporizhzhia, Serhiy Skotarenko, was working abroad at the time of the full-scale invasion. At the end of 2022, he returned to Ukraine to join the Defense Forces. The man became a serviceman of the 53rd separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In March 2023, he went on a combat mission in the Donetsk region, where he was captured. He was illegally held in Chechnya for the entire period of his captivity – in Grozny.

On April 24, 2026, during the exchange of prisoners of war, Ukraine managed to return 193 of its defenders. Among those released was 52-year-old Serhiy Skotarenko. He told UNIAN about his experiences in Chechen captivity.

Mr. Serhiy, please tell me where you were at the time of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and when did you decide to go to war?

At the time of the full-scale invasion, I was working as a construction worker in the United Arab Emirates. On the morning of February 24, we were informed that war had broken out in Ukraine. Of course, it was a shock. We didn’t think that something like this could ever happen.

Then the news said that everything would be over soon. But the war continued… And I decided that it was enough to sit there, I had to go home and help the guys. At first I wanted to take my family abroad, but they refused.

At the end of 2022, I returned home, agreed on all personal issues in order to be able to go to serve. At the beginning of 2023, I decided to contact the territorial recruitment center. My wife asked where I was going. I replied that I was going to get a job. When I returned home, she asked again if I had found her. I said: “Yes, in the army.” My wife was shocked by such a decision.

It was hard for me to watch the war come to my house. I couldn’t sit idly by. At first, they told me that they would form a battalion that would fight in the Zaporizhia direction. That’s where I wanted to go. I was sent to a training center, where I underwent training for two weeks. And then they sent me to Donbas.

Under what circumstances were you captured?

We held the defense. Later, a battle took place, during which the Russian military destroyed our guys at a neighboring position. At night, we received an order to take this position and hold it until reinforcements arrived. But because it was night and we did not have night vision devices, we were ambushed. We fought back until we ran out of ammunition. After that, the so-called DNR people captured us. They are supposedly our compatriots, but they hate us with all their hearts. During interrogation, they used various methods on us… I thought they would bury us somewhere in the mines, where no one would find us. The only thing that saved us was that they “sold” me to the Chechens less than a day later.

Did the Chechens actually “buy you out”? Did they say so themselves?

They don’t hide it. They are concerned about the fate of their soldiers. And they want to exchange them for our fighters. They are not interested in the Russian military.

Mostly Chechens serve at checkpoints and perform police functions. They try not to go anywhere, to sit in the rear. If they are sent to the front, it means that the general could not get away with it… They do not have the opportunity to take prisoners, so they buy them for money or exchange them for something else.

When you arrived in Chechnya, what was happening there? Were prisoners tortured?

The Chechens have extensive experience in treating prisoners. They understand that if they treat us badly, they can treat Chechen fighters in Ukrainian captivity in the same way.

Of course, there were incidents, provocations, and cases of cruel treatment. But mostly they were stopped by their own people. They constantly kept us in suspense, tried to put moral pressure on us, tried to sway us to their side. If we compare them with the conditions of detention in Russian prisons, then in general they treated us normally. The only thing is that we were constantly kept in the basements of the Road Patrol Service (TPS) in Grozny.

Were you in one place the whole time or were you transported?

For the first almost two years, I spent time in the same basement of the traffic police station. Later, this building began to be demolished, so we were moved to the basements at the construction site.

Were you involved in construction work?

Yes. We were told: “Since you are not being taken away, you have to earn your own food.” We had to work. They started taking us out to work.

Then a law was passed there to combat illegal immigrants. After they were expelled, it turned out that there was no one to work for. And here we appeared – free labor.

When they found out that almost everyone among us was either a builder or a welder, and we knew how to work with our hands, they were very happy. We worked, and their management received money for it. We were involved in the construction of both multi-storey and private houses. We were “hired” to work by representatives of the Grozny elite.

What was the food like there?

They thought we would be exchanged very quickly, so for the first two months we only ate from “Mivina”. Then they tried to order food for us somewhere, but it was expensive. In the end, we decided to just bring the food, and we cooked for all the brothers ourselves.

We managed to cook soups from what we brought. We ate two 300-gram plates of soup and a piece of bread a day. And when we started working, we received another loaf of bread.

Did the Chechens hope that they would exchange you quickly?

They thought they could bypass Russia and take their prisoners on their own. But the Russian authorities did not give them independence in this regard. Therefore, they did not succeed.

Are the difficulties with the exchange arising because Russia is blocking this process?

Yes. In Chechnya, they didn’t want to exchange us for Russian soldiers. They said: “We will only exchange for our own. We will not give you to Russia or anyone else. You will stay here as long as ours are with you. You will only go for the exchange when there are Chechens. If there are no Chechens in the exchange, you will not go anywhere either.”

And could the information that the exchange is taking place with the direct permission of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, be true?

Their negotiators – Kadyrov, Chechen deputies and other representatives – during each exchange tried to achieve the return of their fighters. Of course, they did not say directly that Russia was not letting them decide this issue on their own. They convinced us that it was Ukraine that did not want to take us. They said: “See, what kind of power do you have? What did you fight for if they do not want to return you?”

But we understood that something was wrong. Later, they themselves began to say that they would exchange us only for Chechens. They explained this by saying that we were not listed either on the Russian Red Cross list or on any other. We were only registered in Chechnya.

Have representatives of international organizations visited you?

As I said, we were not listed in the Russian POW bases. We were held in Chechnya. At first, we were even taken to the toilet in the dark so that no one would see or hear about us. There was such secrecy.

Later, the locals learned that Ukrainian soldiers were being held captive in Chechnya. They were shocked. How is this possible? About 80% of people support Ukraine because they know what war is, they went through it themselves and remember it. But no one can go against Kadyrov, because he has everything in his hands.

When we were brought to the construction site, the locals sympathized with us and tried to help us in every way: they brought us food, clothes, and other things. They said: “Guys, hang in there. You’ll get home anyway.”

Chechen publics periodically distribute videos featuring Ukrainian prisoners of war. In one of the videos, the prisoners appealed to the Ukrainian authorities to facilitate their release. You were among them. Was this a way to put pressure on the Ukrainian authorities, or was there some other goal?

When they realized that they couldn’t get their fighters back, they started putting pressure on us. They said they wanted to take their own and give us back. So we had to turn to our government (as if Ukraine didn’t want to take us back).

At first we thought that maybe it was true. We were told that exchanges were taking place. But for us, there was complete silence. Sometimes we thought that they had forgotten about us… That’s why we turned to them in these videos.

You say you knew about the exchanges. Where did you get information about the course of the war?

At first, we learned the information from the Chechens themselves. Later, they secretly brought us a radio. Listening to the radio, we understood: if “everything is fine” with them, it means that we are even better. Propaganda does not always win there. Russians are “heroes” everywhere in the news. But we tried to understand what was really happening. When we were transferred to a new place, Kadyrov would come there and give the order to buy us a TV. After that, we could see what was happening here, in Ukraine.

How many prisoners were there with you? Were they exclusively military or civilians as well?

They only held military personnel, no civilians. When I got to Chechnya, there were about 40 of us. Closer to the exchange, there were 225. They returned 193 Ukrainian servicemen. About 35 of our guys remained in those basements.

How many people were in one room? What were the conditions like there?

In the basement of the traffic police station, where we were for the first two years, there were three small rooms. There were a lot of people, sitting on top of each other. We were taken to the toilet once a day – in the evening, so that no one would see us. If we wanted to go to the toilet earlier, we used bottles or bags, and in the evening they took it all out. We could wash ourselves once a week – quickly, in cold water… Those two years were very difficult.

When we were transported to the construction site, there were two large basements. Ours housed 98 people, and the neighboring one housed even more. These rooms were connected, so we could walk to each other and communicate. There was already a toilet, shower, and normal lighting. As for the beds, our guys made them for us from scrap materials at the construction site. We improved everything we wanted on our own.

Was medical care provided?

We were given medicine, but not always the ones we needed. We often bought the cheapest ones. We also had our own doctor among us – a guy from Sumy. There were cases when the guys died – they didn’t have time to save them. This happened because in the summer it was very hot in the basements, people didn’t have enough air. There was no ventilation, and the guys’ hearts couldn’t take it.

Were there many guards watching over you?

There were few guards. And there was no particular point in constantly guarding us, because we were in closed basements all the time. In addition, we were warned that it was practically impossible to escape from here – there was a mountain 5 km high around, which even locals could not cross. There are only two exits from Chechnya, and they are guarded by Russia. If we tried to escape, we would either be eaten by animals in the mountains, or we would crash somewhere.

Were you given any clothes?

At first, when we were first brought to Chechnya, local policemen brought us our clothes from home. We were not allowed to stay or go out in our uniforms. Our main slave owner did not allocate money for clothes, so the traffic police inspectors themselves brought everything from home: clothes, shoes, pillows, blankets…

And were all your personal belongings taken?

Apart from my documents and uniform, I only had a cross and a wedding ring. I kept them. Chechens respect a person who believes and wears a cross. For them, it is sacred. They brought us prayer books and various church books. They even brought Easter cakes from the church for Easter. Everyone was very surprised. They said: “This is a very big holiday for you. We are also believers, so we respect your holidays.”

Besides church books, were you given anything else to read?

They are a nation that reads little and does not like Russian. In addition, they speak Russian very poorly. They brought us some books that they did not need. They must have been left over from their grandmothers or grandfathers, because they were so old and torn that they were scary.

Were you able to contact your family while you were in captivity? How difficult was it to get that opportunity?

I spoke to my wife three times: twice by video call and once by phone. This was possible because our wives fought for our release and maintained contact with those who were holding us. My wife was known because she made a lot of efforts for me: gathering people, participating in rallies, and seeking my release. That is why I was allowed to speak to her three times.

There were boys who never managed to talk to their families. Some were allowed to call on the condition that they give an interview to local television.

Your wife has participated in various rallies and actions. In your opinion, how important is it to hold such events in support of prisoners of war?

When they talk about us and we are “in the news,” Chechens see that they have not forgotten about us. Then they hold themselves together. They know that they are worried about us, fighting for us, and looking for us. The actions have played their role. In addition, Chechens want to look better in the world community.

What helped you hold on?

We didn’t let each other get sad – we supported each other with jokes, various jokes. But everyone has a different degree of resilience. What supported me the most was the thought of home, that my wife and children were waiting for me there, so I had to survive and return.

I was offered to stay in Chechnya. They promised that I would be able to take my family, that we would be given an apartment and various kinds of assistance. But we refused. They said that we have our own Motherland and we would return.

The Chechens also tried to manipulate us into thinking that we would be drafted into the army again in Ukraine. We replied: “If necessary, we will go again.”

Kadyrov has repeatedly stated that he will use Ukrainian prisoners as a “human shield.” In particular, on October 29, 2024, drones attacked the so-called Vladimir Putin Special Forces University – a military training center in Gudermes. At that time, the head of Chechnya  said that Ukrainian prisoners of war were used to cover this “university” and there were victims among them. Can you comment on this incident?

In my opinion, it was more like a “show off”. Yes, he could have done it, but the result would hardly have been. First, in reality, there was no such thing as them hiding behind prisoners. Second, Kadyrov can say anything he wants to the press and everyone.

I remember an incident on the night of December 12, 2024 – my birthday. Not far from us, a Ukrainian drone hit the Russian Guard barracks. The guys had just managed to congratulate me, 20 minutes had passed – and we heard the “arrival”. They came running to us, saying: “Your drone has arrived. And so clearly”. I replied that on my birthday the Motherland made a “salute”. To which I was answered: “The main thing is that it doesn’t hit you”.

What happened closer to the exchange during which you were released?

Almost before each exchange, we were told that the Chechens were participating in the negotiations. But we were not exchanged. That day, we were also informed that there would be an exchange. We thought that they were once again bragging that they were participating in the negotiations. And then we saw that the leadership had arrived and brought us things… When we got on the plane, we thought that we were being transported to another place. But the Chechens said: “Guys, you are going home.” We did not believe it until the last moment – until we crossed the Ukrainian border.

What were your first emotions when you returned to Ukraine?

We didn’t realize we were home. Of course, it was very nice to be greeted, especially on the way. But I can’t explain my state at that time. Everyone told me to call my wife, but I couldn’t because it was difficult to find the words.

What was your health status after your release? How long did your rehabilitation last?

My rehabilitation lasted about two months. I returned from captivity weighing 55 kg instead of 70 and with tuberculosis. I underwent treatment in Kyiv for two months.

Now there is no threat to others. I was transferred to outpatient treatment, provided with the necessary medications. In captivity, the food was poor, there were no vitamins and not enough air… Thank God, it’s all over, everything is behind me and I’m home. The disease can be cured. I am the kind of person who tries not to remember everything bad and starts life from a clean slate.

In your opinion, what should the Ukrainian authorities do to return the prisoners from Chechnya?

If we talk about the return of prisoners who are in Chechnya, then the authorities should negotiate with the Chechens, and not with Russia or representatives of the FSB. There is a deputy in Moscow who deals with these issues. We need to negotiate directly, directly. After all, the Chechens are interested in the return of their fighters. Russia is not interested in the Chechens.

The most important thing is not to forget about our guys. They are staying there until the Chechens are captured by us. Let’s hope that the other prisoners will be able to return home, to their families and children as soon as possible.

Valeria Konstantinova

(c)UNIAN 2026