“Anton” was taken prisoner of war in Ukraine. For 45 days he was imprisoned. Now he wants nothing more than to leave the Russian military.
Less than 20 minutes ago
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– I was sent to Ukraine totally unprepared.
“Anton” joined the Russian military in December last year, just after he finished vocational school.
In an interview with The Guardian tells “Anton”, which actually has a different name, what it was like to be imprisoned in Ukraine for 45 days.
When he first joined the military, his unit was sent to the Crimean peninsula, where he was told to join a week-long training camp.
As the weeks went by, several in his unit became worried that they would be sent to war, Anton says. For he the thought was absurd.
– Many of the young boys could not even imagine that we would go to war. They told us about it at the last minute. The night before the invasion, Anton tells the newspaper.
In retrospect, Anton says he should have done everything to avoid joining the military.
Caught after a few days
The day after the invasion, on February 25, Anton’s unit was ordered to cross the border into Ukraine from Crimea.
They were driven in armed vehicles to the outskirts of Mykolaiv, which was under heavy attack by Russian forces in the first days of the war.
As they continued on foot, Anton and some others from the unit were separated from the others, and attacked by Ukrainian forces.
Then they had been in Ukraine for less than a week.
–Anton says that he was hit in the hand by a bullet shot by the Ukrainians when he was captured.
Ukrainian forces then took a bag over his head while he was being transported to a prison cell.
The first days in captivity were marked by fear.
– You splash the smallest sounds. You hope every day that this is not your last day and that you will not be killed, says Anton.
He never physically harmed the Ukrainian forces, but he says that the guards tormented him and the others mentally.
– We were constantly told that Russia was done, that we belonged to the bottom of society. They threatened to starve us.
According to the Geneva Conventions, the detention of prisoners of war should not be a form of punishment, but a means of preventing further participation in a conflict.
Russia has been accused of violating international law by place Ukrainian prisoners of war in prisons intended for criminals. Russia has previously denied violating international conventions in connection with the invasion.
Ukraine has also been accused of violating international law to beat up and threaten Russian prisoners of war.
Stared at the wall
It quickly became the daily boredom that became Anton’s biggest challenge.
– If we were lucky we were given something random to read. Sometimes they let us watch Ukrainian propaganda on TV.
–Most of the days were still spent staring at the wall in front of him, says Anton.
He was moved three times during his time as a prisoner of war. At one point, he was asked about an interview about captivity with a Ukrainian vlogger.
Ukrainian authorities have given journalists and vloggers permission to interview Russian prisoners of war. Such interviews have received criticism for violating war conventions.
– In such a situation, as a prisoner, you realize that it is not really an opportunity to say no. You say yes despite the fact that they say you can refuse, says Anton.
– Have terrible dreams
In April, Anton was told that he was to be exchanged in exchange for a Ukrainian soldier.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia has given much detail about the exchange of prisoners of war.
According to Anton, he was part of a one-for-one exchange involving 17 other Russian soldiers. The exchange is said to have taken place near the Ukrainian city of Melitopol.
As soon as he was back in Russia, he was interrogated by the security service in Russia.
– They wanted to know if they could still trust me. It was standard procedure.
–A few days after he was discharged from the hospital, he felt the strain his time in captivity had placed on him, both mentally and physically.
– When I sat on my lap, I shut out most of my emotions. I tried not to think about my life, but now I have terrible dreams. I so far sleep. I have put a lot on myself.
The authorities gave him 2,000 euros in compensation for the injuries he received, Anton says. According to Russian military law, people in service do not receive compensation for being held as a prisoner of war, and Anton says that he was expected to enter service as soon as he was healthy.
The experience in Ukraine has made Anton now try to leave the military for good.
– I just want to go home. All I want is to go home.
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