Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Maxym Levchenko was an athlete who practiced kickboxing. Years of training had conditioned his body to withstand physical punishment — something that unexpectedly helped him survive repeated beatings in Russian captivity.
But even a trained body has its limits. By the end of his imprisonment, Maxym had lost a significant amount of weight.
In this episode, Maxym takes us back to Mariupol in 2022, where Russian forces were destroying the city around him. He recalls the events that led to his capture and the Russians’ promises that prisoners would be treated properly.
The reality inside Russian prisons was very different.
Maxym describes the violence, hunger, humiliation, and conditions he was forced to endure.
But captivity also gave birth to something unexpected — a dream about what he would do if he ever returned home.
At the time, freedom seemed impossibly far away.
Maxym survived. He came home. And he made that dream a reality.
These are not stories inspired by real events.
These are real events.
▶ Watch Maxym Levchenko tell his story in his own words.
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Keywords: Maxym Levchenko, Mariupol 2022, Russian captivity, Ukrainian POW, Russian prisons, kickboxing, Russian torture, Mariupol siege, POW testimony, Ukraine war, war crimes, survivor testimony, True War Crime
This audio was produced with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
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