A family who fled Ukraine when Russia invaded in February 2022 recently learned that the 25-year-old son they thought was dead is alive and well.
Valeriia and Roman Biletskiy, who live in Washington state with their seven other children, said they saw their son Roman Jr in a photograph of men who had just been released from a Russian prison.
The parents revealed to several local media that on December 30 they were told that their son had been released from a Russian prison.
According a fundraiser Created to help Roman Jr’s mother travel to Ukraine to bring him back to the US, Roman Jr was captured in May 2022 while defending civilians in the war-sieged city of Mariupol.
The rest of the Biletskiy family left their home in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region in February 2022. The fundraiser claims Russian troops drove tanks into their agrarian town before killing their sister-in-law and torturing their 3-year-old nephew. years.
‘The last two and a half years have been tough for us. We were worried about our son all the time,” said Valeriia Biletskiy. KING 5 through an interpreter. ‘We were worried about where he was and if they were taking him too far, if they were torturing him. What if they killed him?
Roman Jr’s parents first saw a photo of their son on a bus before receiving a phone call from him. According to her father, her first words were: ‘Mom, don’t cry.’ Mom, I’m home. (We are) very happy.’
Roman Jr’s release appears to be part of a recent prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in which 189 Ukrainians were freed. Among them were military personnel, border guards, national guards and two civilians, the Associated Press reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted this photo of all the men released from Russian custody, including Roman Jr.
Roman Biletskiy Jr., a Ukrainian soldier who has been a Russian prisoner of war for more than two years, was finally freed last week in a prisoner exchange. He is pictured on a bus with dozens of other prisoners of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United Arab Emirates for its help in negotiating the agreement.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said 150 Russian soldiers were freed from captivity as part of the exchange.
Roman Jr’s parents said their son is still recovering from the significant injuries he suffered during the war, which is another reason the family is raising money.
Roman Sr said KIRO 7 that she had trouble leaving her son in Ukraine, adding that the family first fled to Poland before upending their lives to resettle on the west coast of the United States.
‘It was very difficult for me to make this decision. But at that moment I understood that we probably would not return to Ukraine soon and I was worried about my son, but as a man I respected his decision,” Roman Sr. said.
‘I knew he was a warrior. I knew he is strong. I was sure he could take care of himself even though I was worried.’
At one point, the family was mistakenly told that Roman Jr was dead. The horrible news came via an official letter from President Zelenskyy, according to the fundraiser.
They later got confirmation that their son was alive in February 2023, when they saw a photo of him in a Russian prison.
Roman Jr., pictured left, appears with his fellow soldiers.
Roman Jr’s parents, Valeriia Biletskiy and Roman Biletskiy Sr, have been praying for the safe return of their son since receiving confirmation that he was in a Russian prison in February 2023.
Roman Jr. appears in this undated photo inside what appears to be a damaged building.
Roman Jr appears in the photo with four of his brothers. He was the only Biletskiy son to stay in Ukraine once the war broke out.
Public fundraiser for the Biletskiy family to help Roman Jr return to the US has received $4,820 in donations
The Biletskiys now have an art and gift shop in Orting. The walls of the store are adorned with Valeriia’s art but also with a portrait of her son.
Proceeds from Ukrop-Art Gallery support the family and local groups seeking to send aid to Ukraine.
The public fundraiser for the Biletskiy family has so far raised $4,820 in donations.