Surviving Russian captivity: a Ukrainian marine's POW story

Join host Rob Lee as he interviews Yevgeny Malik, a Ukrainian marine from the 36th Marine Brigade who endured two and a half years in Russian captivity. This account uncovers the brutal realities of the Mariupol siege, the surrender at the Ilyich factory, and the harrowing conditions in Russian prisons. Yevgeny's story is a testament to resilience amid unimaginable hardship.

Episode sections

1. Enlistment and first battle
2. Mariupol under siege
3. Surrendering the position
4. Capturing and negotiating with the enemy
5. Arrival at Sartana
6. Olenivka: first beatings
7. False hope of exchange
8. Ryazan prison arrival
9. Identified as a shooter
10. Room 19 interrogations
11. Torture implements
12. Waterboarding and suffocation
13. Random beatings for fun
14. Hearing others break
15. The propaganda machine
16. Survival of the mental war

Enlistment and first battle

Yevgeny Malik's journey into the Ukrainian military began in July 2018, driven by a deep sense of duty. As a sergeant in the 36th Marine Brigade, he was thrust into the chaos of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, in Mariupol.

“My name is Yevgeny. I'm 32 years old. I joined the Ukrainian Army in the year 2018, in July, and since that time, I served in the 1st Separate Battalion of the 36th Marine Brigade till the very end.”

Mariupol under siege

The siege of Mariupol was a brutal chapter in the 2022 invasion, with Russian forces bombarding the city relentlessly. Yevgeny recounts the 36th Marine Brigade's desperate attempts to break out of the encirclement, facing heavy casualties and dwindling resources.

“Mariupol was destroyed completely, totally… They were bombing the city every 15, every 20 minutes.”

Surrendering the position

As ammunition ran low and the order came to prioritize saving lives, Yevgeny's unit faced the agonizing decision to surrender at the Ilyich factory. Leading nearly 90 men, he navigated resistance from those determined to fight to the death. Ultimately, the promise of survival swayed the group.

“I came back and I said that, guys, there is a chance to survive. That's what I said. There is a chance to survive.”

Negotiating with the enemy

A captured Russian soldier gave Yevgeny's unit a chance to negotiate with a Russian colonel from the Donetsk Republic. Proposing a prisoner exchange, Yevgeny hoped to secure his men's release — but the colonel's refusal revealed Mariupol's strategic importance to Russia.

“He looked at me and said, no one goes from Mariupol.”

This is part one of Yevgeny Malik's account, recorded for the Ukraine Military History Institute.