The President of the Ukrainian Football Association and UEFA Executive Committee member, Andriy Pavelko, invited recently freed Russian detainee and neurosurgeon Dmitro Kubryak to the House of Football. Dmitro, who is currently recovering in one of Kyiv’s hospitals, gladly accepted the invitation.

Dmitro Kubryak was among the volunteers who at the end of March volunteered to go to besieged Mariupol. As a medic, Dmitro helped wounded soldiers who were hiding on "Azovstal". In April, he along with Mariupol defenders was captured and spent nearly five months in captivity.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

During the meeting, Andriy Pavelko and Dmitro Kubryak recalled their first encounter that took place back in March at a hospital in Dnipro. They also discussed the prospects of Dmitro continuing his career as an arbiter. But right now, for the freed hero, it is most important to undergo full recovery and rehabilitation courses. According to Dmitro, surviving all the difficulties he faced during captivity was helped by the constant support he felt from the football community.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

“Andriy Vasylovych was constantly in touch with my family and supported me throughout the five months. It is still difficult for me to assess the scale of work that was done, but I am extremely grateful for everything that was done. The President of the UFA was the first person I spoke to after being freed from captivity. It’s hard to describe the emotions I felt when I saw Ukrainian symbolism and heard my native Ukrainian language again,” — Dmitro Kubryak shares.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

According to him, he personally experienced how valuable each Ukrainian is for the football community and Ukraine as a whole. “Unlike our enemies who constantly repeat that they do not abandon their own but in practice consider their compatriots cannon fodder, every citizen of Ukraine is the highest value. During my captivity, I felt this support every day, every minute, which gave me strength and helped survive the ordeal,” — Dmitro shares his emotions.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

In turn, Andriy Pavelko thanked Dmitro for his bravery, patriotism and the example that will inspire many Ukrainians. “I thank Dmytro for his character, courage and patriotism he showed even in the face of a threat to his life! I personally and our entire team believed it would be possible to free our comrade, and thanks to our soldiers, President of Ukraine, military command this was successful, for which we are very grateful. I am confident that after recovery Dmytro will successfully continue his career as an arbiter in Ukraine, and over time, I believe he can work at international matches,” — Andriy Pavelko noted.