A Russian Mother's Aid to Ukrainian Prisoners

A Journey of Disillusionment and Hope

Irina Krynina made a bold decision in September 2023, leaving behind her life in Russia. She left her apartment in Krasnoyarsk, her car, and her job as an accountant. Along with her two daughters, aged seven and ten, she traveled to Ukraine to visit her partner, Yevgeny Kovtkov, who had been captured while fighting for Russia against the Ukrainian army. Kovtkov is not the biological father of her children, but their relationship led her to make this life-changing move.

Krynina booked a flight to Turkey, then continued to Moldova before finally reaching Kyiv. She relied on a helpline operated by Ukraine’s defense intelligence service HUR, known as "I Want to Live" (Khochu zhit). Originally designed for Russian soldiers wanting to surrender, this service helped her locate her partner and plan her journey to Ukraine. She became the first person in this war to attempt such a feat.

In an interview, Krynina shared that she had known very little about Ukraine until 2022, though she had opposed the annexation of Crimea back in 2014. It wasn’t until 2023, when her partner was sent to the Donetsk region and later taken prisoner, that she started learning more about the war. “When I realized what was really happening, I didn’t want to stay in Russia anymore,” she said. “I was completely disappointed by the Russian state. I don’t want my family and children to be held responsible for the horror that is happening. That’s why I went to Ukraine to help.”

Upon arrival, however, Krynina faced disappointment. Her partner was not happy about her visit. In an online video published by a Ukrainian YouTuber, he asked, “Ira, why?” He appeared tense and confused. While Krynina plans to stay in Ukraine for now, Kovtkov is waiting for a prisoner exchange to return to Russia. They are no longer a couple. “I didn’t recognize Yevgeny,” she said. “He has changed a lot; he is cold, withdrawn, and anxious. War and imprisonment change people a lot.”

The Project "Our Way Out"

In Ukraine, Krynina founded the project “Our Way Out,” which allows relatives of Russian prisoners of war to connect with them. The initiative gained support from well-known Russian journalist Viktoria Ivleva, who has been advocating for Ukraine since 2014 and moved to Kyiv in March 2022.

Krynina visits prisoners in camps, records conversations with them, delivers parcels, and enables phone calls. These video conversations serve as proof to relatives that their loved ones are in captivity, she explained. Many captured soldiers are often labeled as missing, dead, or deserters. Others remain listed as active soldiers despite being unreachable. Krynina noted that even Russian conscription offices now secretly recommend that relatives of prisoners of war contact the project.

The project's YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and features hundreds of interviews with prisoners discussing their lives, why they joined the Russian army, and how they were captured. It also includes conversations with relatives of Russians who were sent back to fight after being returned to Russia in a prisoner exchange. Krynina advises those affected to reach out to journalists and lawyers. “If a prisoner of war doesn’t fight for his rights, doesn’t demand anything, then the state simply sends him back to war,” she explained.

Despite the risk of former prisoners being sent back to fight on Ukrainian soil, Krynina remains committed to helping Russian prisoners of war return home. “Every returned Russian also means a returned Ukrainian,” she said. “The exchange must continue.”

A Growing Awareness

Krynina believes many people close to someone on the front lines want the war to end. “Everyone is tired of this war, and no one understands why it is still going on,” she said. She thinks her videos have contributed to the project being placed on Russia’s “foreign agents” blacklist in July 2025.

When asked if she feels guilty for the crimes committed by Russians in the war, Krynina responded, “I can’t understand why they’re shooting. It’s very hard for me to bear.”

Life in Ukraine

Many Russians criticize Krynina’s move to Ukraine, but Ukrainians also have mixed feelings. In spring 2025, a post by a customer at a Kyiv fitness club went viral on Facebook. She was outraged that a Russian citizen was allowed to move freely in Ukraine. Some comments urged the fitness club to deny Krynina access, while others pointed out that she was in the country legally.

Krynina initially feared she would be condemned for speaking Russian, but that hasn’t happened. She now rents an apartment in Kyiv, and her daughters attend a Ukrainian school. She is supported by her ex-husband and works as an accountant on the side. Her work for “Our Way Out” is voluntary.

Krynina hopes to return to a “free Russia” one day, but she acknowledges that relations between Russians and Ukrainians will never be the same again. “Russia has brought a lot of suffering and hardship to the Ukrainian people. I think the Russians will feel guilty, but they won’t be able to make amends. I don’t know if the Ukrainians will be able to forgive the Russians for what they have done. It will be generations before we can even think about peace,” she said.