A Ukrainian soldier who had his throat cut and was buried alive by his Russian captors has vowed to return to the front lines to face the "creatures" who tortured him.
Although Vladislav, 33, is unable to speak, he wrote his experiences in a diary which has been shared by his wife and brother.
According to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, the father-of-one said his fellow prisoners were castrated, their eyes were gouged out and their faces were mutilated by Russian forces.
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Vladislav had his throat cut by Russian forces before being buried alive
|SUSPILNE
His family said he was captured earlier this month while trying to help his comrades who had been taken hostage by Russian forces.
This was after Russian forces had taken control of their position near the city of Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donetsk region.
Vladislav's brother, Yevhen, said: "The first guys who were captured - they were from intelligence - had their eyes gouged out, their lips cut off, their male organs cut off, their ears, their noses."
According to his diary, Vladislav was buried in a pit alongside seven dead Ukrainian soldiers, before Russian forces poured rubbish on top of the mass grave.
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Vladislav, 33, is unable to speak, he wrote his experiences in a diary which has been shared by his wife and brother
|SUSPILNE
Vladislav's wife, Victoria, told Suspilne: "He says he was lucky that when they threw them into the pit, they poured more garbage on top so it wouldn't be visible.
"There was a broken bottle there, and his hands were tied, so he was able to cut the rope with that bottle."
The injured soldier then crawled for five days before reaching Ukrainian lines on August 17.
He was then taken to a military hospital.
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According to General Director Serhiy, a medic in the Ukrainian military, Vladislav had lost a lot of blood and his wounds had begun to rot.
Serhiy said: "When they cut your throat, when a person is bleeding out, there are few chances.
"He held on to the end, but, you know, what makes it different is that he was sure to the end that everything would be fine."
The doctor also explained that Vladislav has undergone surgery, and there are hopes that he will be able to speak again with time.
Yevhen added that his brother, who has a four-year-old daughter, said he wants to return to the frontline to ensure the "creatures" who captured him go through "what [he] and those seven of our Cossack boys felt".