Russia did not return all conscripts captured in Kursk region
12 October, 2024 Russian prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region. October, 2024. Ukraine.
Photo: news.liga.net There are still Russian conscripts in Ukraine who were captured in the Kursk region. LIGA.net journalists visited one of the institutions in Ukraine where Russian conscripts are held.
The number of prisoners in this institution changes periodically. Some are sent for exchange, others are transferred from hospitals after stabilization or to other institutions. At the time of the journalists' visit, there were about 50 prisoners of war here.
There are two conscripts. The rest are junior command officers (mostly company commanders), mobilized and contract soldiers, and Chechen Akhmat battalion fighters.
Russian prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region. October, 2024.
Ukraine. Photo: news.liga.net
Most of them refuse to give their names or details of their service. Some turn away from the cameras and cover their faces with their hands.
The stories about the moment of capture are mostly monotonous: "We were at our positions, your guys came in, we were surrounded, we were captured." Immediately upon arrival at the facility, they were sent to a bathhouse. They were given clean civilian clothes, bedding, and personal hygiene products.
Then they were placed in cells: conscripts separately, contract soldiers and mobilized soldiers separately, and members of Akhmat separately. Everyone emphasizes that the Ukrainian captivity turned out to be unexpectedly humane. They expected abuse, torture and severed heads.
Average day for a prisoner of war
The daily schedule is almost like in the army. "We get up at 6:00.
We wash ourselves," stated one of the officers. "Then personal time, breakfast, personal time again. Then lunch. At 10:00 pm, we are on duty."
There is a shower or a bath once a week. The wounded in the facility receive regular medical care, wounds are treated and bandaged. They have strolls every day.
In the evening, after the other prisoners have finished their strolls. The prisoners are isolated from them to prevent conflicts. There are books and TVs in every cell.
No one regulates what and when to watch. News, movies or music - everything is at the discretion of the prisoners of war themselves. At the same time, as one of the employees of the institution notes, most of them are openly bored in captivity.
Including conscripts. Some even asked the administration to engage them in some kind of work. But, according to the law, the administration does not have the right to do so.
Russian prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region.
October, 2024. Ukraine. Photo: news.liga.net
The only topic that earnestly makes all prisoners of war tense is the topic of exchange.
They are well aware that they will face issues in Russia. "At first, they will probably drag us to the FSB. They will question us harshly about being captured and not being killed," said one of the Akhmat fighters.
Russian prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region.
October, 2024.
Ukraine.
Photo: news.liga.net
As a reminder, at the end of September, Ukrainian marines captured the Russian soldiers in the Kursk region.