welcome to bbc news. let's turn to our main headlines. a rare red weather warning — meaning there is a danger to life — is in place for scotland as a huge storm continues to batter the uk and ireland. hamas releases the names of four female israeli soldiers who will be freed on saturday in return for 180 palestinian prisoners. it's thought there are 8,000 people being held captive in russia. we hear from a former prisoner of war who was held captive by russia for over two years. the bbc finds an online site selling hair loss products with risky effects.

let's return to that headline story about ukraine. we have a rare interview with someone who was held as a prisoner of war by the russians. it is thought that 8000 people are currently held in russia in captivity. last year, the un human rights monitoring mission in ukraine said there was widespread evidence of torture and a sharp rise in credible allegations of executions of captured ukrainian pows. let's talk to maksym butkevych, who spent over two years in captivity before being part of a prisoner exchange. welcome here to bbc news. i want to start, in terms of the timeline, at the moment you were actually captured. tell me what that was like, how you were treated.— what that was like, how you were treated. thank you very much for _ were treated. thank you very much for inviting _ were treated. thank you very much for inviting me. - were treated. thank you very much for inviting me. to - were treated. thank you veryi much for inviting me. to stay in brief how it happened, i

joined the armed forces in february 2022. i never served in the army before and i actually was and still am a part—time literalist, used to dealing with human rights issues, a human rights defender. at the time it was possible to do that only by taking up arms, basically. as a commander, i performed my duties in mid june, 2022, being sent to the east of ukraine. me and eight of my guys, we found ourselves isolated with no communication and out of water. 0ut communication and out of water. out of basic supplies. within some time there was a soldier from the ukrainian neighbour, who was here with us saying that we were surrounded. but if

we followed his directions, we would be able to get out. but we should move very fast. apparently, he was captured by russians the previous night so he was... us from russian positions. yes, we were in the open field with guns pointing at us from the neighbouring forest. , , ., ., forest. tell us when you are captured. — forest. tell us when you are captured, how— forest. tell us when you are captured, how did _ forest. tell us when you are captured, how did the - forest. tell us when you are i captured, how did the russians treat you? we captured, how did the russians treat you?— treat you? we didn't have a fiuht, treat you? we didn't have a fight. we — treat you? we didn't have a fight, we didn't _ treat you? we didn't have a fight, we didn't have - treat you? we didn't have a fight, we didn't have a - treat you? we didn't have a l fight, we didn't have a battle. that is probably why they weren't cruel and angry in the moment. they gave us water. there were kicks and punches here and there but there were not as bad as i later learned with some of my other brothers who were beaten after they were captured. then we were transported, but stayed overnight in an undisclosed location. this was the place

where i was beaten first by military russian officers. i mentioned in the introduction, torture and the authorities have looked into this. give me your account, while you were being held in that prison for 15 months or so, tell me what you had to endure.— you had to endure. captivity where the — you had to endure. captivity where the toughest - you had to endure. captivity where the toughest ones. . you had to endure. captivity where the toughest ones. a j you had to endure. captivity i where the toughest ones. a lot of interrogation but some were just formal. some interrogations had violence used against us. but i should say most of it was inflicted not because the interrogators wanted to extract information, most of it was just for us being ukrainian soldiers. so it was rather ideological hatred. that was interesting. that was my last question. what were

they trying to get from you, military information, intelligence? you are saying none of that. it was simply because you are ukrainian? yes. mostl . because you are ukrainian? yes. mostly- we _ because you are ukrainian? yes. mostly. we haven't _ because you are ukrainian? yes. mostly. we haven't got - because you are ukrainian? yes. mostly. we haven't got any - mostly. we haven't got any sensitive military information to provide. but they tried to shake our psychological and emotional comfort, to disturb us. not even to turn us onto their side, us. not even to turn us onto theirside, but us. not even to turn us onto their side, but to feel that we are traitors. they forced us to shout glory to russia, with prepared texts in advance about ukrainian authorities. yes, when i was first beaten severely, it was when a russian officer wanted to treat ukrainian prisoners of war the

russian history. he gave us putin's addressed to the nation and encouraged us to repeat it. it had to be word by word, if anybody had slipped of tongue, i was beaten with a wooden stick. ., ., , ., , stick. two final question is, if i stick. two final question is, if! could- — stick. two final question is, if i could. |_ stick. two final question is, ifi could. i read _ stick. two final question is, if i could. i read that - stick. two final question is, if i could. i read that you i if i could. i read that you lost 20 kilograms in those early months. how did you actually keep going, and did you think there was the potential you would not survive this? ~ potential you would not survive this? . ., . ,, potential you would not survive this? ~ ., ., ., this? well, lack of food, total abstinence — this? well, lack of food, total abstinence to _ this? well, lack of food, total abstinence to live _ this? well, lack of food, total abstinence to live absence - this? well, lack of food, total abstinence to live absence of| abstinence to live absence of any hygiene. no toothbrushes, toothpaste, no shoes. 0urshoes were taken from us. at that... what i never expected was that

they would put a criminal case against me, and this is what they have done. later on, russia sentenced me in the name of the russian federation. the only grounds for that's where my confessions which were things i was forced to sign. in terms of the authorities, do you think there is any prospect of getting any sort ofjustice in terms of what you have been through? you are part of a prisoner exchange, now you are backin prisoner exchange, now you are back in ukraine. does that mean you are part of the reserve forces, when you go back to the front line if there is continued fighting in the coming months, what are you planning to do? i coming months, what are you planning to do?— planning to do? i am still under duty. _ planning to do? i am still under duty, i _ planning to do? i am still under duty, i never - planning to do? i am still. under duty, i never doubted that i would be exchanged, i just thought maybe my house would fail me at some point. fortunately, and i'm really right for you to everyone that

brought me back to my free country, i can leave the armed forces if i... not wearing military uniform. my main task now is to help release other prisoners of war and captured civilians. there are many more captured civilians in russian prisons. and also to deliver the message to our international partners about what is going on there, that it is not the russian ukrainian war any more, is not the russian ukrainian warany more, is is not the russian ukrainian war any more, is much more global. i really want to talk about that too as many people as possible. i about that too as many people as possible-— as possible. i know you have soken as possible. i know you have spoken to — as possible. i know you have spoken to the _ as possible. i know you have spoken to the un _ as possible. i know you have spoken to the un and - as possible. i know you have spoken to the un and many| as possible. i know you have - spoken to the un and many other places, thank you, that we will leave it there. fascinating to talk to you. thank you for taking us through and delay to a __ taking us through and delay to a —— detailing what you have

experience. let's return to north carolina. thank you dustin. house majority leader, brendanjones, majority leader, brendan jones, thank majority leader, brendanjones, thank you very much. thank you for making progress. state representatives, dudley green, carl, thank you very much. state senators, kevin corbyn, warren daniel, thank you very much. . . warren daniel, thank you very much. . ,. ., , warren daniel, thank you very much. . ,. , much. that is clearly 'ust beginning. i much. that is clearly 'ust beginning. we �* much. that is clearly 'ust beginning. we saw h much. that is clearlyjust beginning. we saw him l much. that is clearlyjust - beginning. we saw him speaking to reporters a while ago. i am sure he will have questions put to him and the president will answer. so let'sjust to him and the president will answer. so let's just leave that. well, actually, he is

talking about the harry kane. let's go back again.— talking about the harry kane. let's go back again. now i am here in a _ let's go back again. now i am here in a position _ let's go back again. now i am here in a position where - let's go back again. now i am here in a position where we i here in a position where we could do something. that means i have been in office forfour days and i wanted to come sooner but actually they had a little problem with getting logistically me here. but i would have been here sooner. 104 north carolinians have lost their lives, at least. is that is now a fairly firm number or are they still finding people? what do you think? still finding people? pretty much 0k? finding people? pretty much ok? that is a lot of people. 104 people lost their lives, 73,000 homes were severely damaged, destroyed. i will tell you, homes were severely damaged, destroyed. iwill tell you, i have been to a lot of them and this was like lots of harry kane's... i have never seen such damage done by water. the water came, it was violent and

it's left, and there was, like, nothing left. pretty amazing. at one point... really bad. the city of about went without running water for months. city of about went without running waterfor months. some employers refuse to help people who displayed trump signs on their properties. i think that is true, isn't it, i read that. that is not nice, is it? whoever those property people were, thank you very much. michael, is that true? that's not good, is it? about the property owners. you put a trump sign and they went out. earlier this year, 2000 north carolinians were kicked out of their temporary housing into below freezing temperatures. what was that all about? you know about that? what happened? tell me. �* . , ., ., tell me. and administration under biden _ tell me. and administration under biden and _ tell me. and administration under biden and we - tell me. and administration under biden and we had - tell me. and administration under biden and we had a l under biden and we had a disaster— under biden and we had a disaster that we call the

disaster that we call the disaster after disaster. you had nothing _ disaster after disaster. you had nothing but _ disaster after disaster. wi. had nothing but disaster since then. it doesn't matter at this point, biden did a bad job. some residents still don't have hot water, drinking water or anything else. many of them don't have cortes, they don't have anything. we are going to take care of what they lost. this is totally unacceptable and i will be taking strong action to get north carolina to support it needs to quickly recover and rebuild. we are working on it very hard and if michael whatley does have a good a job as he did for my campaign for north carolina, we will be very happy. him and laura were a very powerful team. you think you can handle it, michael? i'm not sure, i don't know. maybe this is in many ways easier. that you are going to leave the team, do you want to say who the congressmen are that you want to appoint? do you want to introduce them?

we have jamie do you want to introduce them? we havejamie foxx,... we do you want to introduce them? we have jamie foxx,...- we have jamie foxx,... we will come away- _ we have jamie foxx,... we will come away- i — we have jamie foxx,... we will come away. i expect _ we have jamie foxx,... we will come away. i expect that - we have jamie foxx,... we will come away. i expect that will . come away. i expect that will go on for some considerable time. emergency workers and others talking about the storm boris that is only getting to carolina now —— hurricane. for the way that they responded. it has already been disputed, many of the things the president has been saying about the res