August M
A Russian serviceman captured by Ukrainian forces says he was deployed to the battlefield despite being diagnosed with schizophrenia and receiving no treatment.
In a recording obtained by UNITED24 Media, the soldier, identified as Vitaly Vaganov, describes how he was mobilized, wounded and allegedly sent back to positions while struggling with his mental health.
Taken Without Clarity
Vaganov says men stopped him on the street, checked his documents and told him to follow them. He recalls being brought to a building with other men and later transported to what turned out to be a military enlistment office.
He says he signed paperwork without fully understanding it. During a medical evaluation, he informed doctors of his schizophrenia diagnosis but claims it was disregarded.
“I said that I had schizophrenia, but no one cared,” Vaganov says. “The doctors who examined me didn’t ask anything or clarify anything.”
He and roughly a dozen others were later issued uniforms and sent onward. Only then, he says, did he realize he had effectively entered military service.
Drone Strike And Injury
Vaganov provided few details about training, implying it was limited. He recalls being ordered to move between dugouts toward a position when a drone strike hit nearby.
“But we didn’t reach our spot,” he says. “A drone came. I remember a drop, and then being thrown from a tree and feeling sharp pain—I shouted and realized I was wounded.”
He says he treated himself after removing his body armor, which he subsequently lost. Upon reaching a dugout, he found several other injured soldiers. According to his account, evacuation was not arranged and they were instructed to return to forest positions as reserves despite their wounds.
Deteriorating Condition
Vaganov says he had no access to psychiatric medication once deployed, and his supply ran out. He describes worsening symptoms under stress.
“While I was serving, voices in my head started appearing more often,” he says. “I didn’t know what to do about it, and there was no one nearby.”
He also recounts confusion during a night redeployment when, according to him, his unit became disoriented and later came under shelling near a designated location.
UNITED24 Media reports that Vaganov is currently being held as a prisoner of war in Ukraine and is being afforded the rights guaranteed under international law.
Sources: UNITED24 Media
