Russian Lieutenant Arrested by Ukraine: I Feel Shame…

KIEV – A soldier Russia held the rank of lieutenant colonel captured by the troops Ukraine during his invasion has made a public statement. He felt ashamed and denounced the aggression by his troops.

On Thursday last week Kiev time, the news agency UNIAN held a press conference with three Moscow soldiers who were prisoners of war. Footage from the event was shared online online today (7/3/2022).

Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich, one of the soldiers held captive by Ukraine, claimed to be a Lieutenant Colonel in the special rapid response unit of the Russian National Guard.

Mikhailovich insisted he spoke freely. He said his statements were not premeditated, and were not the result of pressure or intimidation from his captors in Ukraine.

Also read: Ukrainian Army: US is a liar, afraid of Russia!

Recounting the first days of the invasion, he said the order to move to Ukraine came suddenly, taking his unit by surprise.
He and his colleagues were told that Ukraine was dominated by a fascist regime, that nationalists and the Nazis had seized power, and that the Ukrainian people needed help to get rid of them.

“Obviously, this information is one-sided information,” he said.

“Of course we have internet, sometimes we get things from other sources. We have some doubts. We don’t know the exact situation,” he said.

Those doubts grew stronger, for him, when his favorite boxers Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko – originally from Ukraine – announced that they would fight the invasion.

“I feel ashamed that we came to this country,” said Lt. Col. Mikhailovich.

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