Horrifying before and after photos show how a Ukrainian soldier held prisoner by Russia was starved during his 20-month capture. 

Volodymyr Tsema-Bursov, 41, looks unrecognisable in images taken in January when he was released during a prisoner exchange. 

Before

Volodymyr, who is 1.91 metres (6.2 feet) tall, lost nearly half his body weight and now weighs just 57 kilogrammes (125 lbs). 

He is being treated for multiple medical problems caused by starvation. 

After

Volodymyr was serving with Ukraine’s 56th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade when he was captured on April 12, 2022. He had previously worked as a musician in Mariupol and on cruise ships and had joined the brigade’s orchestra in 2020.

He was captured by Russian forces when they attacked the Ilyich steel plant, according to local media. 

Volodymyr was held in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region and was also reportedly subjected to torture. It’s believed the Russians beat and abused their prisoners and when Volodymyr was released he was so confused he did not even realise he was back in Ukraine.

Volodymyr said: “Now I am being treated in one of the medical facilities in the Poltava region. My health is much worse than I expected.

“I have, as they say, a ‘whole bouquet’ of diseases, including chronic gastritis in an acute stage, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a disease of the human digestive system, chronic prostatitis in remission, etc.”