The shocking physical deterioration of Mijailo Dianov, the musician who embodies the horrors of seven months of war in Ukraine

The image of Dianov wounded in the right arm went viral during the siege of Mariúpol This Wednesday, after almost four months in captivity, he was released in a prisoner exchange process Dianov’s physical deterioration during the seven months of war is shocking. Mykhailo Dianov, a musician and a Ukrainian soldier recently released in a prisoner exchange. First photo — Mykhailo during the siege of Azovstal. Second photo — Mykhailo after Russian captivity. I have no words. Terrifying. pic.twitter.com/EaDzGKmc2B— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) September 23, 2022 Siege in Mariupol Mijailo Dianov’s face made headlines last spring. This Ukrainian volunteer -with external fixators to rebuild his fractured right humerus- was one of the ‘heroes of Azovstal’, the Mariupol metallurgy that resisted Russian fire for weeks, until its final surrender on May 17. His photo, with the arm in a sling, making the victory sign was widely publicized. But even then, his appearance was far from what he offered in the first days of the war.Mikhailo Dianov at the beginning of the warniusdiario.enDuring the Russian siege of Mariupol, not only was ammunition scarce among the Ukrainian forces; the combatants hardly had anything to put in their mouths. It is said that some lost up to 20 kilos. Conditions were deplorable: the bandages of the dead received a second use to cover the wounds of those who survived. Surrender and captivity Dianov was one of the fighters who surrendered. He was taken prisoner along with a thousand others who were with him. We saw him leave Azovstal with his badly injured arm, guarded by a Russian soldier. There he lost track. Mijailo Dianov, imprisoned in Azovstalniusdiario.esPrisoner exchangeAfter almost four months as a prisoner of war, his physical decrepitude is disheartening and brings to mind the sad memory of the Bosnian prisoners during the Balkan war or the starving Jews in the concentration camps Nazi concentration. Mikhailo Dianov, liberatedniusdiario.es But Dianov is still recognizable in the image taken in a kyiv hospital: his gaze gives him away. During his captivity, his arm has apparently healed. At least the external fixation has been removed. But he is totally demusculated. His forearm seems inordinately large. Mijailo also shows a large scar between his eyebrows and deep circles under his eyes. Only he knows what he has seen since Putin started his special military operation to denacify Ukraine.