Two years in Russian captivity: Ukraine brings home Mariupol police officer Mariana Checheliuk – photos, video

Mariana Checheliuk, a 24-year-old investigator with the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) from the city of Mariupol, was among the prisoners of war (POWs) that Ukraine liberated as part of the 52nd POW swap. Mariana had been in captivity for more than two years. Yuliia Pryimak, Head of the Central Regional Centre of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, has spread the news.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, the young lady and her younger sister were hiding from Russian bombardment in the walls of Azovstal steelworks. After the evacuation of civilians from the steelworks, the sisters were separated in a Russian filtration camp.

The Russians, having learnt about Mariana's profession, took her to the Donetsk pre-trial detention centre. Later, she was held in a POW camp in Olenivka and then in prisons in Taganrog and Mariupol.

"They were trying to lure my daughter to the Russian side with both sweet promises of a big salary and intimidation. But she refused," Mariana's mother, Nataliia Checheliuk, told ZMINA news outlet in January 2024. The mother said that Mariana went through numerous tortures in captivity - she was starved, beaten, and subjected to other forms of abuse.

Due to the conditions of detention, Mariana's health deteriorated: respiratory diseases and a sore throat progressed to a chronic form of bronchitis.

"Mariana lost a lot of weight, her immune system weakened, her hair began to fall out, and her periods disappeared," her mother described Mariana's condition. The daughter received no letters from her mother, who constantly sent them. The young lady knew absolutely nothing about her family, what happened to them or where they were.

Later, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War published the video showing the soldiers, brought back from Russian captivity, on their native land. The video shows Mariana crying and calling her mom for the first time. 

A total of 70 men and five women have been brought back to Ukraine as part of the swap. At least a third of the POWs have been injured, seriously ill or disabled.

Background: An 11-year-old boy who had been in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast for more than two years has been brought back to the territory controlled by Ukraine.

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