Paratrooper from Poltava Oblast returns from captivity to meet daughter he's never seen
Pavlo Zuban, a soldier from the 79th Air Assault Brigade, has returned from Russian captivity. The defender from Poltava will finally meet his younger daughter Yaryna in person for the first time. She will turn two in March.
Source: the Zmist ("Meaning") Poltava media outlet
Details: His wife, Anastasiia, explained that Pavlo had only seen their daughter via phone, as he went to the front lines when she was just a week old.
Pavlo was captured on 9 April 2023, after defending Mariinka in Donetsk Oblast.
Pavlo Zuban spent almost 2 years in captivity.
Photo: nastya_zuban/Instagram
While waiting for her husband's return, Anastasiia attended events in her hometown to raise awareness about prisoners of war.
Their older daughter, 7-year-old Varvara, joined her at the events, and later, Anastasiia began bringing their youngest, Yaryna, along as well.
Pavlo Zuban returned home on 5 February as part of a prisoner exchange, just 16 days before his birthday.
He called his wife with the joyful news even before she received the official notification from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Quote: "You know, it's one word – happiness. It's impossible to put into words or feelings when he called. We didn't get the notification right away; he called us first. There was happiness, tears. It was hard to say anything... We just heard that he's in Ukraine."
Background: Ukraine successfully brought home 150 soldiers from Russian captivity on 5 February. The group included 108 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 22 National Guard troops, 19 border guards, and one National Police officer.
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