'We don't need Ukrainian lands.' Prisoners from Kursk region about war and Putin

"More than six hundred military personnel are already in captivity. There are officers, Chechens, and Kadyrov's militants among them. We will exchange all of them for our guys. This is also one of the objectives of this operation, and it justifies itself," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview the day before, commenting to Western media on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region.

RBC-Ukraine journalists were able to speak with some of these captives last week.

Video: What prisoners from Kursk say about the war and Putin (youtube.com/RBC-Ukraine)

According to the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war must be held under conditions that meet certain criteria, including food, sleeping arrangements, and hygiene.

Ukrainian captives have reported that such conditions are not even close to being met in Russia. Moreover, there is often no food or basic humane conditions for existence. Russians who have fallen into Ukrainian captivity can hardly complain about their treatment.

The first thing that stands out is the clean facility with fairly decent cosmetic repairs. Each cell houses about 10 captives, with beds, blankets, bowls of porridge with meat on the table, a TV in the corner, and books by Russian authors near the beds.

Each cell also has a toilet and a sink. In reality, it resembles more of a summer camp than a prison. Each Russian is dressed in clean civilian clothes, and those with injuries have bandages applied where they were wounded.

The captives themselves are surprised by the conditions and treatment.

"We were told it was better to greet with a grenade than to be taken captive, but here everything is quite different," says one of the Russian soldiers.

Among the military personnel in Kursk, many willingly signed contracts to serve in the army. Most of them were previously incarcerated or had a criminal record. They claim this is the only way to earn money since finding employment in Russia is nearly impossible with a criminal record.

Photo: Prisoners are kept in a tidy room with cosmetic repairs (RBC-Ukraine)

One captive is only 20 years old. He says he joined the army to get an amnesty and was indifferent to the so-called SMO (Special Military Operation). Now, on camera, he admits that Russia did attack Ukraine and does not understand the purpose of it. When asked how to stop it, he shrugs and says, "It's all politics and Putin."

"We understand it's bad, but we can't do anything about it," he says somewhat bewilderedly.

This young man, along with other Russian soldiers, was captured on August 18. They found themselves completely surrounded and surrendered without a fight when the Ukrainian forces approached. They say they were treated very well, not even bound, and were immediately given food and cigarettes.

This young man has only known Putin as the leader of Russia, given his age (one presidential term of Medvedev does not count seriously). When asked if he considers this normal, he admits he doesn’t know if the dictatorship will ever end.

"Most don’t even go to the elections because it will still be Putin," says the Russian soldier.

Many captives assert that they do not need Ukrainian land. They have plenty of Russian territory and are willing to leave Ukrainian land but are unsure how to make that happen, as all Russian militants will not lay down their arms or leave the state border. If someone does, a new batch of soldiers will be sent in their place.

Photo: Among the Russian prisoners captured in the Kursk region, there are many contract soldiers (RBC-Ukraine)

Although the captives speak as if in touch with reality, the guards claim that their words should not be taken at face value. Since they are in "special" conditions, they might say anything. However, they are not actually threatened here, unlike Ukrainian captives on the other side of the border.

A logical question arises for the captives: do they know the conditions Ukrainian prisoners are held in? They say that although the TV shows them in good condition, they know about the torture. Ukrainian soldiers showed Russian captives a video of the state in which soldiers and civilians return home.

– After your side abuses Ukrainian captives, why do you think you are treated normally here?

– Because you are people! – says the Russian.

– And you aren’t people?

– Maybe not. I don’t know why we are so cruel.

During the fighting in the Kursk region, a marine from the 710th Brigade of the Russian Federation was captured. This man did not surrender his weapon and was surrounded during battle.

Photo: Most of the men in the cells do not want to admit their participation in hostilities (RBC-Ukraine)

The captive admits that most of those in these cells do not want to acknowledge their participation in combat and claim to have been drivers or cooks, not fighters. He says that such people are supposedly exchanged more quickly. He also surprisingly expresses admiration for the Azov fighters.

– Your guys from Azovstal fought like real warriors to the end. I sincerely wish them to return home, but our side does not exchange Azov fighters because they are good warriors! – insists the Russian (during prisoner exchanges, Azov regiment fighters also end up on the list, though many Azov fighters have been in captivity for several years).

In the adjacent cell, Russian soldiers gather around a prison guard. He shows them videos and photos of the aftermath of a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian city. He describes a regular building with a business and shows the dead, including civilians. The Russians, with heads bowed, listen.

But do they understand the scale of the tragedy their country has caused? Will they really understand? Each says they will tell back home that war is not worth it and will never take up arms again. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Russians remain on the battlefield, continuing to fight against our country.

Photo: Most of the prisoners say they do not need Ukrainian land at all (RBC-Ukraine)