TV4 News visits prison in secret location in Ukraine • “Treated well”
The TV4 News broadcaster has visited the prison, which is located in a secret location in northeastern Ukraine. There, eight prisoners are crammed into each 15 square meter cell. A total of approximately 100 prisoners of war are currently held in the prison.
– I feel bad, I’m worried. I want to go home. My relatives are also worried about us, says 21-year-old prisoner of war “Vitaly” to TV4 Nyheterna.
For privacy reasons, TV4 News does not show the faces of the prisoners and the visit took place under the supervision of Ukrainian authorities. But the interviews have been conducted without Ukrainian authorities listening or approving questions or censoring.
“Treated well”
None of the prisoners at the prison belong to the conscription group at the moment. The youngest is 19, and most are in their 20s and 30s. They read books and watch Ukrainian TV.
The prisoners consist of, among other things, border guards and contract employees. Two of them, “Ivan” and “Vitaly” firmly claim that they are civilians with no connection whatsoever to the military. The matter is being investigated, according to the prison director.
They state to TV4 Nyheterna that they are treated well with approximately the same food as in the Russian army, but they are not allowed out more than in a kind of cell with an open roof on the roof of the prison.
Don’t care about civilian casualties
None of the prisoners express any strong despair. After all, they are “winners”. They avoid serving in the Russian army, and avoid the risk of dying or being wounded on the battlefield, they avoid wet cold hours in muddy trenches.
21-year-old “Ivan” says he doesn’t care about the thousands of civilians killed in the war in Ukraine.
If your leaders commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, and violate all international laws, do you not care?
– No, I’m not interested at all. The main thing is that they don’t give up on me.
I never watch TV, he says.
Presumably, many of the Russian soldiers here will be part of the regular prisoner exchanges that Russia and Ukraine carry out
– Of course I feel sorry for everyone, both our own and the Ukrainians. It’s like one
and the same country. I feel sorry for everyone, he continues.
Taken on the bed
It seems that the border guards were partially caught in bed when Ukraine attacked.
– The Ukrainian attack came as a surprise. We had not expected that there were so many and with such power.