Azov fighter's book about 886 days in Russian captivity comes out in English and French
As noted in the post, "Crust" is a collection of the soldier's memoirs about enduring Russian captivity and surviving for 886 days. According to the author, the book provides direct testimony of Russian crimes while describing the culture of humiliation and cruelty he faced in captivity.
Pre-orders completely sold out the book's first planned print run. Readers who placed orders should receive their copies in August.
"We are happy because this means that very soon the first thousands of people will receive this book and carry this truth forward. They will speak about it to friends, family, and children, preventing anyone from forgetting Russian crimes. This is precisely how we build the essential chain of memory and truth that we must pass to one another," the post states.
Project creators also urge readers to view purchasing the book not merely as a transaction, but as a way to spread information about Russia's treatment of Ukrainian captives.
Additionally, the book's team reported ongoing work on foreign translations.
The idea to publish the book arose after Kanupier spoke with Olena Mandziuk in Kramatorsk. She suggested the soldier record his story on a voice recorder. Later, he received a transcript of his memories and published it on Instagram.
Kanupier shares that after publishing, he received hundreds of comments, thousands of shares, words of support, and requests to keep speaking out about captives. This overwhelming response convinced him to pursue the story in book form.
According to the soldier, revisiting his experiences in captivity proved to be one of the most difficult parts of writing the book.
"The hardest part was realizing while recalling these memories that right now, there in Russian captivity, my brothers-in-arms are still enduring these same tortures and abuses, taking blows, and suffering from hunger," Kanupier said.
Background
As Rubryka reported, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense launched regular meetings with coordinators representing families of fallen, missing, and captive service members. This format aims to maintain a direct dialogue with families to gather key issues and develop solutions.
Additionally, on August 24, Ukraine returned ten service members from captivity via Belarus. This marked a special stage of exchange conducted under bilateral agreements. All liberated service members defended Ukraine in the Donetsk direction. Before their return, authorities listed them as missing in action. Two soldiers had been missing since 2024, and eight others since 2025.
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6 of October 2026
