A group of Russian soldiers sent to Ukraine as occupation forces were captured on Ukrainian soil. The soldiers made remarkable statements against the Russian government at the press conference. Warring that their fellow soldiers were being thrown into mass graves, the captive soldiers called on the Russian people to take to the streets and rise up against Putin.
“PUTIN CANNOT TAKE THESE LANDS”
Aleksey Jeleznyak, one of the soldiers, warned that no matter how many soldiers Putin sends, it will never be enough to seize Ukraine and said, “Putin is bombing Ukrainian residents, hospitals, cities without declaring war.” Jeleznyak added:
“People of Russia, do not look at zombies. Ukrainians are a brave people. They also stop Russian equipment without weapons. They are united.
No matter how many soldiers Putin sends here, he will not be able to seize these lands. Our Commander-in-Chief deceived all of our people by lying. He deceived not only us, but all of Russia. He literally turned us into fascists.”
“OUR AGGRESSION WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR CENTURIES”
Mustafaev Mugsad, another of the soldiers, urged his citizens to ignore the Russian state’s war propaganda and said about the Ukrainians who were protecting them from Russian bombs, “How do people sit in basements for days, how they die.” Mugsad continued his words as follows:
“I wouldn’t say it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. People will remember our aggression for centuries to come.
Russian people, soldiers of Russia, stop seeing dust and see what’s going on in Ukraine.”
Mugsad apologized “for the fact that the troops of the Russian Federation brought grief and destruction in one day, defaming the peaceful life of the Ukrainian people.”
“RUSSIA HAS LOST A LOT”
Igor Rudenko, one of the captured invading Russian soldiers, said at the press conference that he “made the right decision by surrendering”.
He said that Russian troops had already lost, and that the Ukrainian army would “destroy” them, claiming that 15 thousand people had already died.
Addressing the Russian army, Rudenko said, “If you have honor, do not repeat my mistakes,” and added:
“Take away the soldiers because Putin doesn’t need us. He doesn’t even take the bodies. They’re thrown into mass graves. It’s a sight hard to look at.”
“I beg forgiveness from the Ukrainian people for betraying my own people,” said Rudenko, who said he was an ethnic Ukrainian originally from the Dnipropetrovsk region.
A CALL FOR THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE
Speaking at the meeting, captive Russian soldier Alexander Fomenko called on Russian citizens to take to the streets and rise:
“I demand you take to the streets. Do not be afraid of our government. They will not trample the crowd. Yes, they will arrest 10-20 thousand people, but there are more than you. You can go out and stop this turmoil. Peaceful people suffer here guys.”