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Novoe Vremia (NV) online edition has posted the stories of Ukrainian pilots – Ivan Pepeliashko and Oleksii Chyzh, who were released from Russian captivity with the assistance of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

“On the day of the reception, the workers of the pre-trial detention center took all the things from the prisoners, down to the crosses. There is no God here, they said. I don’t want to say such big words. But it seems to me that if there is hell on the earth, it is Kursk pre-trial detention center,” Ivan Pepeliashko told NV, lying in a hospital bed in a Kyiv Military Hospital, where he ended up after his dismissal.

Ivan Pepeliashko and Oleksii Chyzh, still undergoing treatment, are worried about whether they will be able to fly further.

"Probably a ban is the worst thing we'll hear," Pepeliashko said sadly. “I hope that everything will be fine and we will be allowed to fly.”

After all, the sky is his passion, life magnet and something that brings joy.

But besides the sky, today the pilot sees for himself another mission: moral and psychological support of servicemen, care for their families and further work with the entire flight personnel. Because none of the Ukrainian pilots knew what captivity was and how to behave there. Now Ivan Pepeliashko is ready to share this knowledge.