Yuri Kobzar20:25, 21.06.25

Sergei Dobrovolsky spent about two years in Russian torture chambers.

A serviceman who spent two years in Russian captivity and returned to Ukraine during the latest wave of exchanges has died in the Rivne region . His death was announced by the mayor of the city of Zdolbuniv in the Rivne region, Vladyslav Sukhlyak.

“We have very difficult news again… Serhiy Dobrovolsky, our countryman who fought for Ukraine and was in captivity since 2023, has died,” the mayor wrote on his Facebook . 

According to Sukhlyak, Serhiy Dobrovolsky returned from Russian captivity in late May and only a few days ago finally arrived in his hometown. The man was 43 years old at the time of his death. 

“The war with the damned occupier takes the lives and health of the defenders… A bright memory and sincere condolences to Serhiy’s loved ones. Details of the burial will be announced later,” the official added.

A wave of prisoner exchanges

As UNIAN reported, during negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul on May 16, the parties agreed on only one thing – a large-scale exchange of prisoners. By the end of May, a thousand Ukrainian fighters had been returned from Russian captivity in several stages .

In early June, a second round of talks took place in Istanbul. As in the first round, the parties agreed only on a new exchange. This time, they decided to exchange seriously ill and wounded fighters .

(c)UNIAN 2025