American citizen details torture endured while in Russian captivity more than 1 year later: ‘It was terrible’
TAMPA, Fla. - The American who the U.S. Department of Justice said was beaten and tortured by four Russian soldiers who are now facing war crimes is opening up about his time in captivity and the rescue mission by Project Dynamo that helped bring him home.
It's been more than a year since 27-year-old Kirillo Alexandrov was rescued, but today, he still has brain and nerve damage he suffers as a result of the torture he endured. He describes being ripped out of his home, beaten in front of his family and forced to face multiple mock executions.
Project Dynamo footage of Alexandrov's rescue.
"It was terrible. Nails in the food. Daily beatings. Mock executions," Alexandrov said.
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Alexandrov is from Detroit and had been living in Ukraine for the last few years with his family working as a farmer when, in April 2022, he was ripped from his home by Russian soldiers and accused of being an American spy.
"They pulled me out of the shower. Dragged me in front of my family. No clothes on. They beat me in front of my family," Alexandrov said.
Alexandrov was held in captivity for nearly 40 days. According to the indictment, in one instance they forced Alexandrov to the ground, put a gun to the back of his head, then moved the gun slightly and shot a bullet just past his head.
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It was his mom who was able to make contact with Project Dynamo’s Bryan Stern who devised a plan to rescue him, strategically carrying out the mission dubbed Operation Detroit Lions on Russian Victory Day.
Pictured: Kirillo Alexandrov and Project Dynamo's Bryan Stern.
"They’re not paying attention, and they're all watching the parades and all the things, so we timed the operation, the exact movement of the operations specifically for the Victory Day holiday, which was a big key to our success," said Stern, Project Dynamo's founder and CEO.
Video from Project Dynamo shows the moment Alexandrov is brought to safety. Now, more than a year later, he’s still reeling from everything that happened to him.
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"I was surrounded by the most deprived, terrible human beings on this planet and then 24 hours later, I was surrounded by the most honorable, most brave, amazing human beings on this planet," Alexandrov said.
Throughout the ordeal, Alexandrov said there were times while in captivity he was able to speak to Stern, which is something he said ultimately helped him make it through.
"He spoke with a genuine tone, so there was a strong level of trust. Though I felt hopeless and lost during that time, he was still there though he wasn’t with me," Alexandrov said.
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Now, Alexandrov is living with family in Detroit waiting to have surgery to repair nerve damage he suffers from as a result of his time in captivity.
As for the four Russian soldiers accused of torturing him, they're charged with torture, inhumane treatment and unlawful confinement. For now, these charges are largely symbolic as it is unlikely the DOJ will be able to bring any of these defendants who are now fugitives to justice.