Once the green van screeched to a halt, doors swung open and the blindfold was removed. Words were irrelevant. Teary eyed, Slavik clutched his mother tightly, before reaching for his father, the chief architect of his extraordinary release. His first words, when they eventually came, were simple: "You don’t understand how much I’ve dreamt of the forest, fried potatoes and the chance to play my guitar again." Twenty four hours later, Slavik was back on Ukrainian-controlled soil, 15 days after being taken prisoner at Donetsk airport.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
Newsweek: A Ukrainian father’s desperate search for his son, trapped in Donetsk airport
Ukrainian soldiers stand on top of a tank at a checkpoint under the bridge of Pisky village, Donetsk Oblast, 1.5 kilometers from the embattled Donetsk airport. Jan. 31.
