Valeriia and Roman Biletskiy were left stunned when they spotted their 25-year-old son, Roman Jr, on a bus full of Ukrainian soldiers released in a prisoner swap with Vladimir Putin’s troops
A family who escaped war-torn Ukraine and initially thought their son was dead have received incredible news.
Valeriia and Roman Biletskiy, who fled to Washington state after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, spotted their 25-year-old son, Roman Jr, in a photograph of Ukrainians freed in a prisoner swap.
Eventually, they told local media that they’d been contacted by their beloved boy after his release from Russian prison. He reportedly told Valeriia: “Mom, don’t cry. Mom, I’m at home. [We are] very happy.” Roman Jr was captured in May 2022 in Mariupol, where he had been protecting the civilian population.
The Billetskiy family, from the southern city of Kherson, managed to escape the country in February 2022 just as Russian tanks rolled through their town. The family claimed Russians soldiers slaughtered their sister-in-law and tortured their nephew, who was just three years old.
Speaking to KING 5 through an interpreter, Valeriia said: “The last two and a half years have been hard on us. We were worried about our son all the time.We were worried about where he was and if they took him too far away, if they were torturing him. What if they killed him?”
The 25-year-old’s release appears to be part of a huge prisoner swap freeing 189 of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops, including soldiers, border and national guards, and two civilians, according to the Associated Press. As part of the UAE-brokered deal, 150 Russian soldiers were released in exchange for the Ukrainian lives.
Though free, Roman Jr’s ordeal is not over as he’s still recovering from injuries sustained during the war. To support him, the family has set up a fundraiser, which has already raised almost $5,000 (£3,985).
Speaking to KIRO 7, his father explained how difficult it was to leave his son behind. The family fled to Poland before moving across the world to settle in the US. Roman Sr said: “It was very hard for me to make this decision. But I understood in that moment, we probably won’t go back to Ukraine soon and I was worried for my son, but as a man, I respected his decision. I knew he was a warrior. I knew he’s strong. I was sure that he could take care of himself although I was worried.”
According to the fundraiser, an official letter delivered the devastating but incorrect news that their son had died in battle. The letter was signed by President Zelensky.
