Azovstal defender Oleksandr Savov dies 8 months after release
Ukrainian marine Oleksandr Savov, a defender of Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks who endured Russian captivity, died on Sunday, just eight months after being freed in a prisoner exchange, his daughter Anastasiia Savova announced on Instagram.
Savov, a member of the 36th Marine Brigade, will be buried in Mykolaiv.
“Captivity kills even after release,” Anastasiia wrote on social media, adding she would share funeral details later.
Savov was returned to Ukraine in March 2025 suffering from tuberculosis, skin diseases and leg lymphedema. During their emotional reunion, he initially refused to hug his daughter for fear of infecting her.
In a TSN interview, he described beatings and torture during so-called “admission procedures” in Russian captivity, saying medical treatment there resembled experiments.
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