Defender of Mariupol Published Photos Before and After Nearly Three Years of Captivity.

The Released Fighter Showed How He Changed During Captivity

Ivan Petrovsky, who served in the 12th Brigade of the National Guard and defended Mariupol, spent nearly three years in Russian captivity. He returned home on March 19, 2025. He was greeted by his wife Kristina, daughter, and son. In a photo on Instagram, he showed how he changed during this time.

“The difference between this photo is 1037 days and -40 kg”, – Petrovsky wrote.

According to the portal “Glavkom”, Ivan Petrovsky was born in Brovary near Kyiv and grew up in Zhytomyr region. In 2015, he joined the National Guard of Ukraine and underwent training in Kharkiv.

He was then transferred to Mariupol. He was held captive since May 2022, initially in Olenivka, and later in Volgograd Oblast, Russia. During captivity, he had health issues.

In total, 175 Ukrainian soldiers were released from Russian captivity, while another 22 managed to return home through means other than exchanges.

Earlier, the Russian leader informed the US President that a prisoner exchange of 175 for 175 would take place on March 19. Later, Zelensky confirmed this information and noted that the exchange had been preliminarily planned.