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In the detention room, on the second floor of a prison facility in Ukraine, members of the Russian military who are prisoners of war waiting for their time to be tried. DW deliberately did not mention the exact location of the building for security reasons. The Russians were held separately from the other detainees. We were told it was “for their own protection.”
Following a request from journalists from the Ukrainian State Penitentiary, DW became the first media outlet to talk to Russian prisoners as well as film in prisons. Permission was granted on the condition that DW would not confirm the whereabouts of the detainees or show their faces.
DW reporters are also only allowed to speak with prisoners who have not been charged with war crimes and who do not face other criminal charges: Interviewing such individuals would require additional permission from investigators or prosecutors.
‘Only here I realized what really happened’
Seven men of various ages were sitting in one of the cells. They were not surprised by the visit of journalists. They say representatives of the United Nations or the Red Cross come every week.
During the interviews, DW journalists were accompanied by prison staff who allowed us to choose which men we wanted to interview. DW interviewed four prisoners after they gave their consent. The four prisoners were all professional Russian soldiers, “and we have nothing to hide”, they said.
“Honestly, we were fooled,” Roman, who is from Vyborg in Russia, told DW. “Initially we were told the mission was humanitarian. But I was immediately sent to the front line.” Roman was injured during the fighting in the Kharkiv region. He said the Ukrainian military took him and provided medical treatment.
On the other hand, Artyom, another detainee, said he made a conscious decision to take part in a “special military operation” against Ukraine. Special military operations is the term Russia used in its invasion of Ukraine.
He responded to an online ad he received, and was sent to Donetsk, a region controlled by pro-Russian separatists. There he learned to pilot a T-72 tank in just a few days. Then, he said, he was sent towards Zaporizhzhya, but his battle tank was destroyed and he himself was captured by the Ukrainian Azov battalion. The Russian prisoner said he was given food and cigarettes, adding: “I don’t see any fascist groups.”
Asked why he went to Ukraine, Artyom said: “On television they tell us that we should fight for a good cause, but in reality we are not. Only here I realized it.” Artyom called Russian soldiers “looters and murderers” when speaking to DW.
What was the daily life of Russian prisoners of war like?
The cells are furnished with old furniture, cramped but clean. There is a common table for all, with plastic plates, spoons and forks for each prisoner. Cutlery is made of metal.
According to guards, plastic cutlery is commonly used in prisons for security reasons. But with prisoners of war, they said, everything became easier. They are not aggressive and usually just wait for the exchange of prisoners.
Lunch was distributed to Russian prisoners by a Ukrainian prisoner under the supervision of a guard. The menu: Borscht, a soup made from beets, and buckwheat porridge passed through the hole in the door of each cell.
For breakfast, there was grits with meat, the prisoners said. According to the ration schedule posted in the hallway, meals were served three times a day. In addition, prisoners of war were allowed to walk around and bathe every day.
‘Get out of here! You have no business here!’
In another cell, there were three young men in their 20s. On the table beside their bed was a pile of books. The prisoners said they liked to read detective stories and novels.
One of them is Dmitry. He said he had no idea his unit would go to Ukraine from Belgorod in Russia on February 24. “I asked the commander what we were doing here and the answer I got was that I shouldn’t ask unnecessary questions,” recalls Dmitry. When his tank was fired upon near Pryluky in the Chernihiv region on February 27, he surrendered to Ukraine.
DW talks to prisoner Oleg from Karelia privately in a separate room. He renewed his contract with the Russian squad in March. “I believe the news on television that we are going to Ukraine to help, that there are nationalist groups here who will kill and torture their own people,” he said.
But when he arrived in the Kharkiv region, he said, he did not see a single nationalist group. “When we come to the villages, people tell us frankly: ‘Get out! You have no business here!'”
When he signed his contract, Oleg said, he was promised training and he would not be put on the front lines. But after just three days, he was ordered to lay siege to Kharkiv, a city of more than a million people. His unit tried to return to Russia, but the commander forbade it. They then lost contact with the commander and his unit, and soon after were captured by the Ukrainian army.
Can prisoners of war be trusted?
All the prisoners DW interviewed said reassuringly that they regretted their participation in the invasion of Ukraine and that they did not open fire on peaceful civilians in villages and towns. Ukrainian investigators have so far failed to show any evidence of possible war crimes they may have committed. The captives are also said to have been screened with lie detectors.
None of the detainees DW spoke to complained of poor prison conditions or inhumane treatment. “Every day we are asked if we need something. If possible, we get it. The food is balanced,” says Roman.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, it costs around 3,000 hryvnia (approximately Rp. 1.5 million) per month for a prisoner of war. The funds will provide food, clothing, cleaning supplies, as well as water and electricity. In addition, there are costs for medical equipment and drugs, as well as staff costs.
Treatment of prisoners in Ukraine and in Russia
In an interview with DW, the head of the UN Mission for Human Rights in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, said the conditions of detention for Russian prisoners of war were overall satisfactory. According to Bogner, however, UN observers have also received information that Russian soldiers were allegedly mistreated and tortured after they were captured.
There is also evidence that Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia and in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine were tortured immediately after their capture, Bogner said, “There was a lack of food and hygiene, and the treatment on the part of the guards was very harsh.”
The United Nations has called on both sides to treat prisoners of war humanely and to promptly and effectively investigate all suspected cases of torture and ill-treatment. There are no official figures on how many Russian soldiers are being held in Ukraine. Their numbers were constantly changing due to the regular captive exchanges.
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