Among the 84 individuals released from captivity is Oleksandr Boichuk, the commander of Ukraine’s only minesweeper. Originally from Volodymyr in the Volyn region, Boichuk served eight months in a peacekeeping mission in Iraq before joining the navy in 2009.

In March 2014, during Russia’s seizure of Crimea, the commander of the minesweeper Henichesk brought the ship to combat readiness. On 18 March, all Ukrainian naval vessels attempted to leave Donuzlav to break through the blockade, but the exit was already sealed. Two days later, Vitalii Zviahintsev, commander of the 5th Surface Ship Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy, who had defected to Russia, ordered all ships to dock. The Henichesk’s commander refused to comply and did not allow Russian forces on board, even though three machine-gun emplacements and automatic grenade launchers were aimed at the vessel, and the crew was running out of food and fuel.

In the morning, the ship attempted another escape, but it was intercepted by a boat carrying Russian special forces. They pelted the minesweeper with stun grenades and boarded it. The sailors defended themselves with hoses and chains. Boichuk was struck on the head with a rifle butt, fell, and lost consciousness. The Henichesk was moored at the pier, and all crew members disembarked. Two days later, Oleksandr’s family left for Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Shortly after Oleksandr returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory, the Russians removed the Henichesk from Donuzlav and handed it back to Ukraine. Boichuk once again took command. The minesweeper thus became one of the few vessels returned by Russia, as they believed it was only fit for scrap — its service life had officially expired at the end of the last century. Yet, even without modern equipment, relying solely on the enthusiasm of Ukrainian sailors, the ship was capable of clearing Ukraine’s territorial waters of dangerous “gifts.“ The events aboard the ship were later chronicled in Bohdan Kutiepov’s 2017 documentary Henichesk, in which Oleksandr Boichuk played the leading role. 

During the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, Oleksandr Boichuk was in Mariupol aboard the command ship Donbas. Together with his comrades from three vessels, he initially defended the ships and the port, and later the city itself, where he became encircled and was taken prisoner. His wife and sons — who are also currently serving in the military — awaited his return from captivity.