Harrowing images have emerged of a former Ukrainian prisoner of war whose emaciated body evokes memories of Holocaust survivors.
Volodymyr Tsema-Bursov, 41, weighed about 210 pounds when he was taken prisoner by invading Russian forces 20 months ago, Ukrainian news outlet Cvoi City reported.
But the 6-foot-2 soldier, a member of the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, lost nearly half his body weight during his lengthy captivity, according to the outlet.
Ghastly photos taken after Tsema-Bursov’s release in January during his prisoner exchange show his skeletal body – when he weighed in at a mere 125 pounds.
In stark contrast to his former hefty self, his skin-and-bones appearance drew similarities to horrific scenes that shocked the world in liberated Nazi camps at the end of World War II.
Tsema-Bursov is the father of a young girl and had worked as a musician with the Mariupol Chamber Philharmonic before joining the military, Cvoi City reported.
He also worked on cruise ships and joined his brigade’s orchestra in 2020.
“I was looking for a job for some time and then a comrade from the National Guard orchestra told about the 56th Brigade, which was just recruiting for the orchestra,” Tsema-Bursov told the outlet.
“One day, we received information that the head of one of the units of the Mariupol garrison and some of his men had surrendered to the Russians,” he said.
“Our positions around the plant were exposed, and the enemy was given the green light. Then there were talks that we would not be able to hold on to the plant, so we had to look for ways to get out of the enemy’s ring,” Tsema-Bursov recounted, referring to the Ilyich steel plant.
He was finally captured by Russian troops on April 12, 2022 and held in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, where he was reportedly subjected to torture.
When he was released after his grueling captivity, he was so weak from abuse and starvation that he unaware of his surroundings.
“Now I am being treated in one of the medical facilities in the Poltava region. My health is much worse than I expected,” he said.
“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.,” Tsema-Bursov added.
