Returned after 22 months of captivity without family or money: soldier reported the disappearance of more than UAH 2 million

While he was in captivity, the marriage was dissolved, and the accounts were emptied — the defense attorney went to court

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01 Jul 2026

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повернувся з полону - немає ані родини, ані грошей (фото ТСН)

A Ukrainian serviceman released from Russian captivity, Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi, said that during his time in captivity his wife divorced him without his participation and also continued to receive payments from his military unit. According to his defender, the total amount she received exceeded 2 million hryvnias, but she allegedly refuses to return them.

The story of the serviceman from Nizhyn was reported by TSN on July 1, 2026 here. The circumstances of the receipt and use of the funds are currently being checked by law enforcement, and there are no final court conclusions about the guilt of the ex-wife. The woman herself and her lawyer refused to comment to journalists.

Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi fell into Russian captivity after an unsuccessful assault in the Zaporizhia direction. His unit found itself encircled, and Ukrainian soldiers, according to the man, fought until the last round. Overall, the serviceman spent 22 months in Russian captivity. For about 14 months he was officially considered missing. He was held in temporarily occupied territory and was later transferred to Russia. He spoke of hunger, beatings and cruel treatment.

On May 6, 2025, Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange. The serviceman hoped that his wife and underage son would be waiting for him at home, but after his release he learned that the marriage had already been officially dissolved.

Recalling the first conversation with his wife after returning to territory controlled by Ukraine, Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi said that the woman told him about the divorce and her plans to go abroad.

“I say: hi, I was exchanged, I’m already on my native land. She replies: I divorced you, I’m leaving the country, I’m getting married… She said that they were credited to me, not to you. And I won’t give you the money,” the man recalls.

The couple’s marriage was officially dissolved while Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi was in Russian captivity. The man did not appear in court twice because, he claims, he did not know about the hearing and physically could not take part in it. Journalists report that the ex-wife, Alina Skalatska, allegedly did not inform the court that her husband was in Russian captivity. As a result, the marriage was dissolved without his presence, despite the couple having a common underage son.

According to TSN, the decision to dissolve the marriage was made at the end of January 2025. However, after receiving the relevant documents, the woman allegedly did not notify the military unit about the change in marital status and continued to receive payments.

The serviceman claims that from August 2023 to March 2025 Alina Skalatska received more than 2 million hryvnias from the state in payments related to her husband’s monetary support. The serviceman’s lawyer, Mykola Bovshyk, stressed that after the divorce the former wife should have informed the military unit or the financial institution about the end of the family relationship. A change in marital status directly affected the right to receive a serviceman’s funds.

Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi himself intends to seek in court the division of the funds received by the former wife during the marriage, as well as the return of the entire amount transferred to her after the official divorce.

Since February 2025, the rules for distributing monetary support for captured servicemen have changed. Since then, only part of the funds may be sent to family members, while the rest is deposited into the serviceman’s account until his return.

After returning from captivity, the serviceman also discovered that there was no money left on his personal bank card:

“She withdrew another 72 thousand. She restored my SIM card through “Kyivstar”, then logged into “Privat-24”, created a new password, entered my “Privat-24″ and transferred everything to her card. And how exactly she restored the card? I don’t understand that. The police are dealing with it,” the man said.

A criminal proceeding has been opened on the fact of possible illegal appropriation of funds under the article on fraud. Police representative Vitalii Kopystko reported that the results of checks, which the investigators attached to the case file, showed signs of possible fraud.

The head of the Nizhyn District Prosecutor’s Office of the Chernihiv region, Dmytro Stos, explained that the pre-trial investigation lasts about half a year. According to him, the delay is due to the need to conduct investigative actions in different regions, the remoteness of institutions and air raid alerts.

At the same time, a notice of suspicion in itself is not proof of guilt, and all circumstances must be established by the investigation and the court. At the time of publication there is no information about an indictment against Alina Skalatska. The serviceman’s former wife and her lawyer refused to comment to TSN journalists. Therefore, the public space currently mostly presents the position of Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi, his defender and law enforcement officers.

After the torture endured in Russian captivity, Oleksandr Skalat︠s︡kyi developed serious health problems. He now lives on a disability pension, part of which is used to pay alimony for his son. According to the serviceman, after mandatory payments he does not have enough funds for full treatment, recovery and rehabilitation.

Volunteers who help former prisoners of war emphasize that such family and property conflicts are not isolated. Returning defenders often face disputes over state payments, housing, bank accounts and other property. In particular, earlier the Rivne District Court ordered the mother of another released prisoner of war, Dmytro Panchuk, to return to her son almost 3.9 million hryvnias received and spent during his captivity. That decision could still be appealed.

Volunteers believe that the state should provide released prisoners not only with medical and psychological rehabilitation, but also with free legal support. Such assistance is necessary for servicemen who, after returning, are forced to defend their rights in courts and law enforcement agencies.