For many, the trauma predates the Russian invasion and is linked to a conflict that began in the south and east of the country, including the Donetsk region, in 2014.
Yurii Shapovalov, who lived in Donetsk at the time and was detained by Russian-installed authorities, spent almost eight years in captivity. Now free, he tries to restart his life.
“In a small cell, I was trying to do physical exercises,” Yurii said. “But mentally it was very difficult. The conditions were too difficult to bear.”
Before the conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Yurii worked as a neurophysiologist at the Donetsk Regional Diagnostic Center.
In his spare time he ran the local Cactus Enthusiasts Society and cared for his elderly mother.
When pro-Russian forces took control of Donetsk, Yurii and his mother stayed. They couldn’t imagine leaving their home behind.
IOM provides personalized support to survivors of war-related violence.
Recovery after arrest
He began documenting daily life in Donetsk, a city in southern Ukraine, through an anonymous social media account. It was a small act of protest, but it came at a cost. In 2018 he was arrested.
“They beat me and forced me to work,” he said. For months, his mother didn’t know where he was. Without the support of her home, she lacked basic needs and remembered wearing winter shoes during the summer heat.
In 2020, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. “I told myself I had to preserve who I was: don’t succumb, don’t break, hold on,” Yurii said.
There were losses he couldn’t prepare for. “My mother couldn’t see me come back,” he said. “She passed away.”
Yurii also lost the life he had built. His extensive cactus collection, something he had cared for deeply, was left behind. His friends later moved it to the Donetsk Botanical Garden, hoping to preserve at least some of the plants. “By then, there was nothing left of my previous life.”
Yurii continues his recovery after years of detention and receives support to address his physical and mental health needs.
Tailor-made help
In the summer of 2025, Yurii was finally freed thanks to a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
After receiving initial support at a public hospital, he was referred to the International Migration Agency’s (IOM) Protective Medical Rehabilitation Center in kyiv, a specialized center that provides care for survivors of human trafficking and gender-based and conflict-related violence.
There, doctors identified their urgent health needs and facilitated additional essential cardiological and neurological treatment.
Since 2024, IOM Ukraine has identified and supported more than 4,700 survivors of war-related violence, including civilian captivity survivors like Yurii.
“Many need long-term treatment,” said Olha Shcherbatiuk, IOM National Rehabilitation Center Officer.
Beyond medical care, IOM supports long-term recovery through survivor-led groups and national initiatives that address war-related abuses.
Following his release, Yurii is rebuilding his life step by step, even reconnecting with former colleagues.
Returning to work
“Maybe I managed to preserve myself,” Yurii reflected. But the effects persist. After years in captivity, everyday tasks became unfamiliar. “Using the telephone, the elevator and even the subway was difficult for me,” he explained.
His former colleagues, who had left Donetsk years earlier, were among the first to support him after his release, including tracing and verifying his work and training background.
Only then can he take refresher courses and return to work, hopefully as a child neurologist.
When asked what brings him joy now, Yurii paused.
“Having my own place,” he said. “It’s time to be alone, to think, to put things in order” and to take care of cacti again.