PINELLAS PARK, Fla — Kirillo Alexandrov, a 31-year-old Detroit-born American citizen, is marking four years since his rescue from a Russian prison camp in May of 2022.
Alexandrov was taken from his home in the Kherson region of Ukraine in the first days of the Russian invasion.
"I live so far in the middle of nowhere in Ukraine that this is the first time I saw something in the sky aside from a bird, and I saw missiles and drones and cargo planes and so forth," Alexandrov said.
He was held in a Russian prison camp, where he says he endured abuse and torture that left him with lasting injuries.
"All around, very abusive, and they're torturing people. They injured me. I still have injuries to this day," Alexandrov said.
Grey Bull Rescue and its chairman and founder, Bryan Stern, pulled Alexandrov out of Ukraine and brought him home. Alexandrov now lives in the Tampa Bay area and works alongside Stern and Grey Bull Rescue to help others in similar situations.
Stern said his relationship with Alexandrov is something special.
"I look at Carrillo as what's possible. He went through unbelievable stuff without an ounce of training. And he's still making it and saving lives and doing things and thriving, really, truly thriving," Stern said.
For Alexandrov, the biggest takeaway from his experience is grace — and a renewed sense of purpose in helping others who have faced what he has.
"A lot of my friends haven't made it, a lot of my family haven't made it. My mother gets to hear from me on Mother's Day. A lot of my friends' mothers don't, so we should be reminded that we have it very good in our life and that shouldn't be forgotten," Alexandrov said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Share Your Story with Blake
Tourism and the environment are backbones to our way of life in Florida, and Blake Phillips is dedicated to covering those topics. Use the form below to reach out to Blake and start a conversation.
.
Pasco schools tell parents kindergartners must be potty-trained before class starts
District leaders were receiving reports at the start of the school year that nearly every elementary school had about 10 students who could not independently use the restroom.
