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'We were deceived,' say Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine
In Ukraine, captured Russian soldiers say their government tricked them. How are they treated as POWs? And what do they think of the war? DW was able to get exclusive access and speak with prisoners in one facility.
At a pretrial detention facility in Ukraine, the second floor is reserved for Russian prisoners of wars. DW is not naming the exact location of the building for security reasons.
The Russians are held separately from the other prisoners. We're told it is "for their own protection."
Following a request by journalists to the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, DW became the first media outlet to speak with Russian prisoners as well film in the prison.
Permission was granted on the condition that DW would not report the exact whereabouts of the prisoners or show their faces.
We were also only allowed to talk to prisoners who were not charged with war crimes and who faced no other criminal charges: Interviewing such individuals would require additional authorization from the investigators or prosecutor.
'It was only here that I realized what was actually going on'
Seven men of different ages are sitting in one of the cells. They are not surprised by the visit of journalists. They say representatives of the United Nations or the Red Cross come by every week.During the interviews, DW journalists were accompanied by prison staff who allowed them to choose the men they wanted to interview.
DW interviewed four prisoners after they gave their consent; they were all professional soldiers and had nothing to hide, they said.
"Honestly, we were deceived," Roman, who is from Vyborg in Russia, tell us. "In the beginning, we were told it was about humanitarian things. But I was immediately sent to the front lines." Roman was injured during fighting in the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian military, he says, took him along and provided medical care.
On the other hand, Artyom, another prisoner, says he made a conscious decision to take part in the "special military operation" against Ukraine. (Editor's note: This is the official Kremlin term for Russia's war against Ukraine.)
He responded to an online advertisement he came across and was sent to Donetsk, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists. There he learned to drive a T-72 tank in just a few days. Then, he says, he was sent in the direction of Zaporizhzhya, but his battle tank was destroyed and he himself was captured by the Ukrainian Azov regiment. The Russian prisoner says he was given food and cigarettes, adding: "I didn't see any fascists."
Asked why he went to Ukraine, Artyom says: "On television they tell us that we are supposedly fighting for a good cause but in reality that is not the case at all. It was only here that I realized that."
Artyom calls the Russian army "looters and murderers" when speaking with DW.........................
'We were deceived,' say Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine | DW | 22.06.2022
In Ukraine, captured Russian soldiers say their government tricked them. How are they treated as POWs? And what do they think of the war? DW was able to get exclusive access and speak with prisoners in one facility.
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