Stanislav Aseyev, a Ukrainian writer, journalist, and activist who has joined Ukraine's Armed Forces, suffered a concussion in combat and was hospitalized, according to his social media post from May 1.
Aseyev is known for his reporting from the Russian-occupied parts of the Donbas region before the full-scale war, which led to him spending more than two years in brutal Russian captivity.
"I'm alive, although according to all the laws of physics and probability, I should have died," Aseyev wrote on X, adding: "The positions, unfortunately, have been lost. Now I'm in the hospital with a concussion."
According to blogger and journalist Denys Kazanskyi, Aseyev was fighting near Ocheretyne in Donetsk Oblast. The village has become the site of heavy battles as Russian forces are pushing deeper into the settlement.
Ocheretyne lies around 15 kilometers (nine miles) northwest of Avdiivka, a key fortified town captured by Russia in February.
Aseyev, a 34-year-old native of Donetsk, remained in his home city after it was occupied by Russia in 2014 and continued reporting on the situation in occupied territories for Ukrainian media.
The writer was abducted by Russian proxies in 2017 and jailed in the infamous Izolyatsia torture prison in Donetsk. He was released in December 2019 in a prisoner exchange. During the full-scale war, Aseyev joined Ukraine's Armed Forces as a volunteer.
Aseyev is also a popular prose writer and received the Shevchenko Award, the country's most prestigious prize for achievements in culture and arts, in 2021.
Martin Fornusek
