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Yulian Pylypei is a professional serviceman who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2013. He entered the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy with a sincere desire to become an officer. Since 2017, he has served in the Ukrainian Marine Corps. During Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, he commanded a mortar company of the 1st Separate Marine Battalion of the Ukrainian Navy. On April 14, 2022, he was captured by Russian forces along with many other defenders who were stationed at the Illich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol and attempting to break through to Ukrainian units. He received two separate sentences of 20 and 24 years in prison and faced the threat of a life sentence based on multiple charges. After two and a half years in captivity, he was released during a prisoner exchange on September 13, 2024. He currently continues his service as a Marine Corps officer and is undergoing rehabilitation.
