UKRAINE Prison guards lead a group of journalists to the cells downstairs. We are in a secret location in Ukraine, and we get to meet Russian prisoners of war taken by Ukraine.
Cells come in many sizes, and bunk beds are arranged tightly in them. There are a hundred prisoners.
Journalists are allowed to interview prisoners if the prisoners give their consent.
The prisoners come from the Kursk region of Russia. Ukraine invaded there in early August.
Hundreds of Russian soldiers ended up as prisoners, including conscripts. The conscripts have already been released in prisoner exchanges. There are mostly contract soldiers and mobilized ones left.
does not tell the real names of the prisoners of war in this story. The treatment of prisoners of war is regulated by the Geneva Conventions, according to which prisoners of war must not be exposed to “public curiosity” or, for example, put them in danger in their home country.
The International Red Cross played a central role when the Geneva Conventions were drawn up after World War II to protect victims of war, such as civilians and prisoners of war.
Desperate defense
Some of the journalists bring packs of cigarettes to prisoners of war. gives them nothing.
A youthful man, under thirty, still wants to share his experiences. He sits on a wooden bench with his head down.
“Andrei” says he was wounded on the front in Kursk. He was sent there on the eighth of August, two days after the invasion of Ukraine. is unable to verify the information he provided.
– After ten days I was wounded and two days after that I was taken prisoner, says Andrei.
Andrei tells how desperate the Russian defense was. He can’t believe how lucky he is to have survived the gunfire.
The Russians abandoned the wounded
Out of a unit of one hundred soldiers, only twenty remained when they became prisoners of war.
Andrei tells how his comrades-in-arms fled and left him wounded behind.
– They withdrew without me. I had shrapnel injuries in both legs. Ukrainian soldiers found me and gave me first aid.
Most of the soldiers in Andrei’s unit were prisoners or persons suspected of crimes from Finland’s border regions: Murmansk, Karelia, Komi and St. Petersburg.
Andrei says that he was about to be convicted of fraud in St. Petersburg.
– If you get a sentence in Russia, you are already a “nobody”. You won’t get a normal job or a loan. It’s like being removed from society.
Andrei was offered a deal that would clear him of all criminal charges. There would be no trial or criminal record.
From St. Petersburg, he was sent to the Storm-V unit, which consisted mainly of prisoners. Before transferring to the front, Andrei received three weeks of military training. He has not completed military service.
Fighting as an alternative to a criminal sentence
Russia has lost huge numbers of soldiers in its war of aggression in Ukraine. The exact numbers of fallen and wounded are not known. of the United States authorities assessthat more than a hundred thousand Russians have fallen and half a million have been wounded.
Russia has strengthened its ranks by recruiting criminals from prisons, but has had to find new ways, when already convicted criminals are not enough for the needs of the armed forces.
Russia is now recruiting people who are just waiting for their sentences. Russian the Duma accepted in October, a law enabling the recruitment of those awaiting sentencing.
According to sources close to the Ministry of Defence, forty percent of the defendants are wanted on the front lines in an offensive war. In the beginning, that would mean twenty thousand men.
Get out of jail free card
The practice seems to have been in place for some time. Several soldiers tell that they went to the front to avoid prison and a criminal record.
In Russia, a criminal record hinders everyday life in many ways. In other words, the authorities offer the Get Out of Jail card familiar from the Monopoly board game.
If you go to war, it’s as if you didn’t commit the crime you were accused of. There are no traces of the crime in the registers, and there is no need to sit in prison. In addition, you get a salary of thousands of euros.
“Mihail”, 40, also took up the offer. He has five children, the youngest of whom is only three years old.
Mihail says he comes from the Murmansk region. Life was good until adversity started.
– I had a medium-sized construction company, children, a family, a cottage and a home. Everything was fine.
Mihail was surprised by the treatment
cannot confirm the veracity of the story, but Mihail tells in a roundabout way that the client refused to pay for the house he had built.
– Well, I went to find out. That led to a fight. I took the money he owed me. He filed a report that I robbed the money.
The authorities threatened Mihail with at least ten years in prison. At the same time, they offered an alternative, i.e. enlistment. Mihail’s legal problems would disappear.
– Well, I signed the contract. I just thought that when I get out of prison I’ll be in my fifties, and then my youngest child won’t recognize me anymore.
In addition to the disappearance of criminal justice problems, Mihail was offered a reward of thousands of euros for a year’s service in the war.
– I thought that enlisting was a better option. I’ll be there for a year, and I have a fifty percent chance of surviving.
According to Mihail, more than three hundred soldiers fought in his unit. After twenty days, almost everyone had fallen or been wounded.
– There were seven left. We decided to back off. As we left the forest, tanks started firing, and infantry approached from the other side. We lay on the ground and surrendered as prisoners.
Mihail was surprised by the good treatment he received from the Ukrainians. In Russia, there was a fear of becoming a prisoner of war.
– I didn’t expect it, but everything was fine. They didn’t touch us, didn’t hurt us. They gave food and drink, even coffee.
“Everyone knows that Russia started this war”
And what does Mihail think about him volunteering to take part in the war of aggression?
First, he does not want to blame either side for the war. When the TV filming ends and the camera turns off, Mihail gets angry.
– Everyone knows that Russia started this war. It has been shown on television all over the world.
Mihail admits that he understands that he is among the attackers.
One of the Ukrainian prison guards watches the conversation from the side. According to him, the prisoners tell the journalists that they have not killed Ukrainians.
– When the journalists leave, they start bragging about their battles against the Ukrainians, the prison guard says.
The Red Cross in cooperation
Ukraine wants to show that it complies with international agreements in the treatment of prisoners of war. That is why it allows journalists to visit prisoners of war.
– In the beginning, the prisoners are afraid. They have been told that fascists will torture them with electric shocks. After a couple of days, they realize that their lives are not threatened. They start to smile, joke and feel safe, says one of the prison supervisors.
About four hundred Russian soldiers captured in Kursk have passed through this prison. Some have already been released in a prisoner exchange, some have been transferred elsewhere.
The Geneva Conventions stipulate many actions related to prisoners of war. The International Red Cross must reach the prisoners.
According to the prison’s supervisor, the Red Cross delegation immediately learned about the first prisoners and started contacting their relatives with the help of the prison.
Russia executed prisoners of war
On the other hand, according to many reports, Russia has treated prisoners of war in violation of international law. Torture and other ill-treatment is very broad.
Recently made public the video went viralin which Russia appears to execute sixteen surrendered Ukrainian soldiers.
Ukraine has managed to release around 3,600 prisoners of war and civilians in prisoner exchanges. Thousands of soldiers and civilians are still believed to be imprisoned in Russia.
At least 177 Ukrainian prisoners have been confirmed dead in Russia. The real number is still much higher, assessed by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.