Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine: We were deceived!

This is a prison in Ukraine where those who have not yet been convicted are being held, Deutsche Welle does not say the exact location for security reasons. The second floor of the building is allotted to Russian prisoners of war. They are kept separate from other prisoners, in order to “protect” them, as they say.

Following a request from journalists to the State Prison Service in Ukraine, Deutsche Welles was given the opportunity to speak with Russian prisoners, making it the first media outlet to do so. Even the prison shootings have been exclusive. Permission was granted on condition that Deutsche Welle neither say the exact location of the prisoners nor show their faces. Journalists were also allowed to speak only to prisoners who are not charged with war crimes and against whom no criminal proceedings have yet been opened. Talking to such persons would require another permission from the investigators or the prosecution.

“When I came here my eyes were opened”

In one cell are seven men of different ages. The visit of the journalists does not surprise them. They say representatives of the United Nations or the Red Cross come every week.

During the interview, Deutsche Welle journalists are accompanied by prison staff. They offered Deutsche Welles the opportunity to decide for themselves who to talk to. Deutsche Welle conducted interviews with four detainees after they had given their consent to speak: they are all professional soldiers and said they had nothing to hide.

“Honestly: We were deceived,” says Romani, from Vyborg, Russia. “At first he did not say that we were dealing with humanitarian issues. “But I was immediately sent to the front.” Romani was wounded during the fighting in the Karkiv region. The Ukrainian army took him away and left the doctor to treat him, he says.

Artyomi, another prisoner, said he had decided to take part in “special operations” against Ukraine. (This is officially the name of Russia’s war against Ukraine in Russia. Editor’s note). After reading a news story online he went to Doneck which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists, where in a few days he learned to run a T-72 tank. Then they sent him in the direction of Saporishtja. But his tank was destroyed and he was captured by the Ukrainian regiment Asow. He assures that he was given food and cigarettes and adds: “I did not see any fascists.” Asked why he went to Ukraine, Artyom replied: “It is said on television that we are fighting for a just cause, but in fact this is not true. This is where my eyes began to open. ” He called the Russian army “looting and killing.”

How do prisoners spend their day?

The prisoner cell is equipped with furniture, it is small but clean. There are plastic containers on the common table, each with its own utensils. Spoons and forks are made of metal. According to the guard in ordinary prisoners, the spoons and forks are also made of plastic, for security reasons. But with prisoners of war it is easier, they are not aggressive and just wait for the exchange of prisoners to take place.

Lunch food is distributed to the Russians by a Ukrainian prisoner, who is kept under surveillance by a guard. A plate of borscht soup and a wheat porridge are inserted into the cracks of the doors of each cell. In the morning there was corn porridge with meat, the prisoners say. According to the meal plan that is hung in the hallway, food is given three times a day. In addition prisoners are allowed to walk and bathe daily.

“Disappear! You have nothing to look for here! ”

In another cell are three young boys in their twenties. On the table next to the beds is a pile of books. Prisoners say they read feature and police novels.

One of them is Dmitrij. He says he did not know that on February 24 he will go to Russian Belgorod in Ukraine. “We were not told where we were going. Only when we happened to be on Ukrainian territory and saw the signs and flags did it become clear to us. “I asked the commander what we were doing here and I got the answer, not to ask unnecessary questions,” Dmitrij recalls. When his tank was struck near Pryluky in the Tschernihiw Region, he surrendered to the Ukrainians.

During the interview with him and two other prisoners of war, a guard, a prison psychologist and another prisoner were present. Deutsche Welle reporters had the impression that the presence of prison staff had no bearing on the prisoner’s story or his desire to speak. The guards did not follow the conversation. They were at a distance and did not put pressure on the conversation partners with Deutsche Wellen.

With prisoner Oleg from Karelien, Deutsche Welle spoke only in a separate room. He indicated that in March he had extended his contract with the Russian armed forces. “I trusted the television news, according to which we come to Ukraine to help, because there are nationalists here, who kill people and torture them,” said the young man. But when he came to the Karkiv region, he saw no nationalists. “When we came to the village, people told us directly: ‘Disappear! You have nothing to look for here! ‘”

When he signed the contract, Olegu says, he was promised education and not to be sent to the front line. But after three days he was transferred to the outskirts of the city of millions Karkiv. His unit tried to return to Russia, but the Command stopped them. Later contact with the Command was severed and his unit was taken hostage by the Ukrainian army.

Can prisoners of war be trusted?

All the prisoners with whom Deutsche Welle spoke assure us that they regret their participation in the occupation of Ukraine and that they did not shoot at peaceful people in villages and towns. Ukrainian investigators have no evidence of possible war crimes committed by them. Prisoners will also be checked with the lie detector.

Prison officials allege that Russian soldier Wadim S., who was also in the prison, admitted during a search of the lying machine that he shot and killed a civilian in the Sumy region. On May 23, he was sentenced by a Ukrainian court to life in prison. This was the first trial given in a trial against a Russian prisoner of war in Ukraine.

How much does it cost to hold a prisoner of war prisoner?

In a conversation with Deutsche Welle, none of the prisoners complained about poor conditions or inhuman treatment: “Every day we are asked if we need anything. When possible they bring us what we need. “The food is fine,” says Romani.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, about 3,000 hryvnias (about 95 euros) are needed every month for a prisoner of war for food, clothing, hygiene items, as well as water and electricity. To these are added the costs of medical devices and medications as well as staff costs.

Deputy Justice Minister Olena Wysozka told Deutsche Welles that such costs are justified because the conditions of detention for prisoners must be adapted to the Geneva Convention. In addition to the Russian stock market must be alive and well to make exchanges with the Ukrainians captured by the Russians.

Treatment of prisoners in Ukraine and Russia

In an interview with Deutsche Welle, the head of the UN Human Rights Mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, stated that the conditions of detention for Russian prisoners of war are generally satisfactory. According to Bogner, UN observers also had information that Russian soldiers were mistreated and tortured after the capture.

“There are reports that Ukrainian prisoners in Russia and Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine were tortured immediately after the capture,” said Bogner. The UN urges both sides to treat war prisoners humanely and to investigate without delay all cases of alleged torture and ill-treatment of prisoners.

There are no official figures for the number of Russian soldiers detained in Ukraine. Their number is constantly changing due to occasional exchanges. “Hope dies last,” says 20-year-old Dmitrij, who also hopes to be exchanged. After three months in prison, he wants nothing more than to return home. And he says he will never serve in the military again./DW

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