Anton Milaev, the adopted great-grandson of former Soviet chief Leonid Brezhnev, has reportedly been captured by Ukrainian forces whereas serving within the Russian army, based on media experiences.The declare was first reported by Baza, a Russian Telegram channel identified for its hyperlinks to the nation’s safety providers, and was later cited by a number of Ukrainian shops.In response to experiences, the 45-year-old joined the Russian military as a sapper, or fight engineer, within the autumn of 2025.Baza reported, citing Milaev’s mom Irina Kuznetsova, that the household misplaced contact with him in November final yr. Months later, they have been knowledgeable that he had been captured by Ukrainian forces and was being held within the Kherson area.
Seize reportedly confirmed by Ukrainian sources
The report has not been independently verified and there was no official remark from Kyiv.Nevertheless, a supply in Ukraine’s army intelligence company reportedly confirmed to BBC Information Ukraine that Milaev was in Ukrainian custody.In response to TVP World, sources inside Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Therapy of Prisoners of Battle additionally confirmed the seize to investigative outlet Babel.Milaev is the adopted grandson of Galina Brezhneva, the daughter of Leonid Brezhnev.He was raised by Galina as her personal son, as per RBC Ukraine.His title has additionally appeared on Myrotvorets, a controversial Ukrainian on-line database that lists people thought-about “enemies of Ukraine”.The database describes him because the “great-grandson of secretary normal Leonid Brezhnev” and states that he voluntarily joined Russia’s conflict effort in 2025, based on The Telegraph.
Who was Leonid Brezhnev?
Leonid Brezhnev served as normal secretary of the Communist Social gathering of the Soviet Union from 1964 till his dying in 1982.His 18-year rule was one of many longest in Soviet historical past and have become related to a interval of political and financial stagnation referred to as “zastoi”.Brezhnev was born in what’s now Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk area and was formally listed as ethnically Ukrainian in a number of authorized paperwork, together with his passport.Brezhnev’s tenure additionally included the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, which crushed the Prague Spring reform motion and led to the formulation of the so-called Brezhnev Doctrine, beneath which Moscow justified intervention in Japanese Bloc international locations to protect Soviet affect.
Prisoner exchanges stay unsure
The circumstances surrounding Milaev’s seize stay unclear, and there’s no data on whether or not he could possibly be included in a future prisoner change.Kyiv and Moscow have just lately carried out a number of prisoner swaps, together with exchanges beneath the “1,000-for-1,000” framework. Earlier this month, Ukraine and Russia accomplished one other stage of a large-scale change that noticed the return of 185 Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in February that greater than 4,000 Russian prisoners of conflict have been being held in Ukraine, whereas round 7,000 Ukrainians remained in Russian captivity.He reiterated on Friday that Kyiv remained prepared for an “all-for-all” prisoner change, a proposal Russia has to date rejected.
Battle continues regardless of diplomatic efforts
The reported seize comes as preventing between Russia and Ukraine continues throughout a number of fronts.Russian strikes on Saturday killed and wounded civilians in a number of Ukrainian cities, together with Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.Ukraine, in the meantime, has intensified long-range drone assaults on Russian power infrastructure, together with oil amenities in Crimea and southern Russia.As diplomatic efforts stay stalled and either side proceed exchanging assaults, the conflict has entered its fifth yr with no rapid finish in sight.
