(Lviv) – Russian prisoners of war held in a camp in western Ukraine have described their grim experiences on the front lines and criticised the Russian military command, while revealing the personal, often desperate reasons behind their enlistment. The Kyiv Independent recently visited the facility to interview several of these captives, exposing not only the chaos of their deployment but the disturbing realities of Russia’s war machine.
One prisoner, originally from occupied eastern Ukraine, was forcibly conscripted on his birthday, 24 February, when he was handed a draft notice at his doorstep. Despite having no military training, he was sent to the front on the very day Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Another POW, a former telecommunications engineer from Crimea, said he voluntarily enlisted hoping to work in the engineering corps to “help with communications.” Instead, he was deployed with the 810th Marine Brigade, a notorious unit used in some of the deadliest assaults in Ukraine. He told reporters that although he believed in defending Crimea, his personal motivation was to protect his family.
A third soldier, from the Russian Far East, signed up in order to spare his two sons from mobilisation. “I signed a contract so they would not be drafted,” he explained. “It was a deal. I would go instead.” However, he was shocked to find no proper military training was given before being thrown into the war. His entire unit, he recalled, had only fired a single round at a training range before being sent to fight.
Describing their time on the battlefield, the prisoners said many of their orders were suicidal. One recalled fighting without water for over a day during intense August heat. Another was wounded while defending a pumping station. Many served alongside convicts in the now-infamous “Storm-Z” units, where, of sixty men, only two survived after a single assault.
Despite the harsh treatment and clear signs of unpreparedness, the captives showed signs of indoctrination. Some echoed Kremlin propaganda blaming NATO and the West for the war, repeating debunked narratives about the 2014 Maidan protests and falsely claiming Ukraine provoked the invasion. One man claimed Russia was “not targeting civilians,” despite global evidence of widespread attacks on homes, hospitals, and schools.
When asked if they supported the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, most hesitated. One claimed, “we chose him,” while avoiding a direct answer about his own vote. Another said the decisions were made far above their level, pushing responsibility onto local commanders.
Yet even amid mixed feelings and confusion, all agreed on one thing: they had been sent to war without preparation, misled, and used. One summarised the experience as: “I signed up knowing I was meat. Someone had to be.”
These interviews give a rare look into the human cost of the Kremlin’s illegal invasion – not just for Ukrainians, but for the very Russians the regime claims to protect.