A group of Ukrainian veterans is in North Texas this weekend, sharing rare firsthand accounts of what they endured on the front lines. 

Taking in what Dallas has to offer is a stark contrast to what they've lived through on the front lines in the war against Russia. 

"You have to understand what it's like to be a Marine," Yevhenii Malik said. "You are afraid inside because everyone is afraid; that is normal, but you don't show this."  

At the start of the war, Malik was stationed in Mariupol. Two months later, he was captured by Russian forces. He describes the next two and a half years in captivity as "hell."

"I tried to count," he said. "I thought that I was beaten approximately 300 times during this time in the prison." 

He says interrogations were constant, many centered on the United States. 

"The sense of the interrogation was - all your connections to NATO and with the United States," he said. "With the American army... in  case you have military drills with NATO or with the United States, in case you got some relatives in the United States... what are they doing?" 

Malik says he tried to stay strong, but near the end, after being told he was being transferred to another prison, he lost hope. 

"I was flying in the plane with a bag on my head and I thought, I asked God just to make it go down so it's going to be finished," he said. "We got to the bus and some Russian soldiers said you're going home to Ukraine." 

He was released in a prisoner exchange involving Russian conscripts. Under international law, he was allowed to end his military service, but he continues to train students and speak publicly about what the war is truly like.

He's now in Dallas to share that message. The Rogge Dunn Group is hosting a special panel discussion Saturday night.

"I went to Kyiv in May for a charity mission and I met these veterans and they touched my heart with stories of courage and sacrifice," Dunn said. "These people have been put through so much that we need to help."

Organizers say they hope stories like Malik's bring attention to the unimaginable conditions Ukrainian troops are facing every day and will inspire others to support their efforts.