Ukraine war continues to leave deep scars on families and survivors

[Anchor]

As the war between Ukraine and Russia drags on, the lives of ordinary people are marred by scars.

So many are sacrificing their lives, and even those who survive are barely surviving in pain as they are taken as prisoners.

Reporter Lee Seung-cheol has covered the shattered daily life in Ukraine.

[Report]

In downtown Kyiv, cars honk loudly at a crosswalk.

This is a rally urging Russia to release soldiers who were captured while defending the southern region of Mariupol at the beginning of the war.

[Lyubov Tybonenko/Family of a POW: "I am the mother of the war prisoner Tybonenko Vadym Mykolaiovych. I hope our children return as soon as possible."]

The soldiers who have returned through prisoner exchanges are few. Among them, Mr. Maksym Butkevych, a former BBC journalist before the war and soldier of the Ukrainian armed forces, revealed in an interview with KBS that he had to endure harsh trials as a prisoner.

[/Ukraine Army Lieutenant: "(On June 21, 2022), half of my platoon and I were captured by Russian forces in the Luhansk region."]

For over two years, he was repeatedly beaten by Russian soldiers, and the wounds have not healed, leaving scars behind.

[/Ukraine Army Lieutenant: "(The Russian soldiers) hit me with expertise, so they always hit the same areas."]

He expressed uncertainty about whether Ukraine's safety can be guaranteed even if the war stops.

[/Ukraine Army Lieutenant: "(During my time as a prisoner), I heard several times from the Russian military that Ukraine is just the first stage of a larger war, and that the Russian leadership and military are ready to move on to the next stage."]

With casualties in the war reaching hundreds of thousands in Ukraine alone, most citizens are either families or friends of the deceased or the captured.

For those who have survived, the war, which is approaching its third year, is leaving deep scars.

This is Lee Seung-cheol reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine for KBS News.