«I knew you'd find me»: the story of a marine from the 36th Brigade in Mykolaiv who returned from captivity

Andrii Ordynskyi was released from captivity on 23 May 2025. Photo: Upload

On 23 May 2025, 270 defenders returned to Ukraine in the largest prisoner exchange since the beginning of the full-scale war. Among them is Andriy Ordynskyi, a marine with the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi from Kherson region, who spent more than three years in Russian captivity.

This was reported by the publication «Vhoru».

The soldier was taken prisoner in April 2022 after the defence of Mariupol as part of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade. All this time, his wife Anastasiia has been fighting for her husband's release — writing letters, organising actions, meeting with representatives of the Coordination Headquarters.

Anastasia learned about her husband's fate from a video on Russian telegram channels, where she recognised him by his gait. Since then, she has not stopped trying to draw attention to his story. Andrii received only 20 letters during his imprisonment, while he was able to send only two himself.

Anastasiia learned about her husband's fate from a video on the Russian telegram channel Foto: Vhoru

Andrii Ordynskyi was released from captivity on 23 May 2025. He, like all returned soldiers, spent the first week in quarantine to check his health and adapt. During this period, relatives are allowed a short meeting lasting 10-15 minutes in the presence of a psychologist.

Even during her husband's captivity, Anastasiia underwent psychological training to better prepare for his return. She understood how important it was to avoid excessive emotions so as not to cause additional stress for Andrii.

The first meeting lasted 10-12 minutes. For Anastasiia, the most important thing was just to see Andrii and hug him. First, the man hugged his daughter, expressed his love and admiration for how she had grown up. Then he approached his wife.

«I asked him if I could hug him. He replied: hug me, please. I thanked him for holding out, for surviving.» And he said, «Thank you for being strong and getting me out of there,» the soldier's wife recalls.

The first meeting with the family. Photo: Vgoru

After returning home, Andriy will have to undergo at least several months of treatment and rehabilitation, both physical and psychological. According to his wife, the soldier was severely tortured: electrocuted, beaten, and starved.

So far, the family has not decided whether Andriy will remain in the service. Anastasia says that the fight for his freedom is over, but now a new one is beginning - for his health and return to a peaceful life.

On Monday, 9 June, as a result of the prisoner exchange, the Marines returned to Ukraine. This was the first stage of a new prisoner exchange. Ukrainian defenders under the age of 25, including wounded and seriously injured, were returned.

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Prisoner exchange in the format «1000 for 1000»

During negotiations in Turkey on 16 May, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed to conduct a large-scale exchange of prisoners in the format of «1000 for 1000».

As a reminder, on Friday, as part of the first stage of the exchange, Ukraine returned 390 people — 270 military and 120 civilians. After that, on 24 May, another 307 servicemen returned to Ukraine as part of the second stage of the exchange.

On Sunday, 25 May, the third stage of the exchange was completed. Another 303 Ukrainian defenders were returned home.