DONETSK - At a corner table inside Donetsk's Ramada hotel, Dmytro Potekhin takes a long sip from a glass of Jack Daniels before huffing down a bowl of hot carbonara.
His hair is unkempt and his face unshaven. Dark bags encircle his eyes. He is exhausted and his muscles ache. He has endured stomach and digestive problems for more than a month and, as a result, he looks malnourished. Because he has lost weight, he repeatedly pushes his oversized square-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, which use to stay put against his round face.
Despite his emaciated condition, Potekhin is in good spirits like any man who just got a new lease on life. Last week, Moscow-backed rebels released him, having held him captive for nearly two months.
