b. c. 1993

Oleksii Anulia

Defender, voice for prisoners of war

Soldier, Human rights defender

He survived ten months in russian captivity and became a voice for those still held. Oleksii Anulia, a machine gunner from Chernihiv Oblast, campaigns for prisoners’ release, supports families of the missing, testifies to russia’s war crimes and wrote a book about captivity, “Jingle bellz”.

Key accomplishments

  • Machine gunner in the 21st Separate Rifle Battalion; fought for Lukashivka in Chernihiv Oblast (2022)
  • Came home from russian captivity in the prisoner exchange of 31 December 2022
  • Told diplomats about russian captivity in Geneva during a session of the UN Human Rights Council (July 2024)
  • Author of “Jingle bellz”, a book about his experience of captivity (2025)
  • First winner of the Ihor Kozlovskyi Prize from the Center for Civil Liberties (December 2025)

The last day of 2022

On the last day of 2022, 31 December, russia handed 140 prisoners back to Ukraine. One of them was Oleksii Anulia from Chernihiv Oblast, who had spent ten months in captivity. Ever since, he has worked to bring home those who are still there.

A kickboxer with a machine gun

Before the war Oleksii was a kickboxer. When the full-scale invasion began, he joined the 21st Separate Rifle Battalion as a machine gunner. In late February and early March 2022 the battalion fought for the village of Lukashivka near Chernihiv.

Captivity

Oleksii was captured on 9 March 2022, when russian troops took Lukashivka. Over almost ten months he was moved through six places of detention, among them a pre-trial prison in Kursk and a penal colony in Donskoy in russia’s Tula region. He spent 108 days in a punishment cell.

He was beaten, tortured and forced to eat a military patch. His daily food was a piece of bread and two spoons of porridge, and he lost 40 kilograms. His captors broke his fingers, jaw, collarbones and spine.

He was freed in the New Year’s Eve exchange. By July 2024 he had been in hospital 36 times.

Two photos side by side: on the left an emaciated Oleksii Anulia, shirtless with his ribs showing, just after captivity; on the right, in a black jacket ten months later
Oleksii Anulia after his return from captivity, and ten months after rehabilitation

A voice for those still held

After his treatment, Oleksii took on a new cause. He campaigns for the release of other prisoners, supports families of the missing and testifies to the war crimes of the russian army. In July 2024 he went to Geneva for a session of the UN Human Rights Council and told a room full of diplomats about his captivity.

A book and a prize

Oleksii published “Jingle bellz” in 2025, a book in which he reflects on captivity, the psychological pressure, and how both prisoners and their captors behave.

On 10 December 2025 the Center for Civil Liberties gave out the Ihor Kozlovskyi Prize for the first time. It is named after a philosopher and scholar of religion who spent 700 days held captive in occupied territory. The first winner was Oleksii Anulia. He was away on an advocacy trip and spoke to the guests by video. At the same ceremony, paramedic Yuliia “Taira” Paievska received an award from PEN Ukraine.

Why it matters today

Oleksii tells the world about captivity because his voice speaks for the Ukrainians still held in russian prisons. Having come through captivity, he did not shut himself away in his own pain but set out to help others: prisoners, their families, and the truth about russia’s war crimes. His story is a reminder that every prisoner must be spoken about until they are brought home.