Kathrine Frich
A battlefield mistake turned into an extraordinary survival story on Ukraine’s front lines.
What began as a desperate attempt to escape shelling ended with a soldier returning home alongside an unlikely prisoner.
Into enemy lines
Ukrainian soldier Vadim Lietunov accidentally ran into a Russian position after his own trench was destroyed, according to reporting by The Guardian cited by Digi24.
Under constant bombardment, he had been sheltering with another soldier, Sasha, as drones and mortars struck their position daily.
“The enemy knew we were there. He was trying to kill us,” Lietunov said.
Sudden loss
In late February, an anti-tank mine hit their trench, killing Sasha.
Disoriented and fleeing without boots, Lietunov ran toward what he believed were friendly forces.
Instead, he entered a fortified position occupied by a Russian soldier.
“I started screaming. I thought my people were inside. Then I heard a rustling. I went into the shelter and saw a soldier in uniform aiming an automatic rifle at me,” he said.
Inside the bunker, Lietunov realized his mistake.
“I told him what brigade I was from and that I had been bombed. The guy said, ‘Come in.’ Well, I went in. And then I heard his accent. He was Russian. I said, ‘You’re not one of us, are you? Please, don’t kill me,'” Lietunov said.
The Russian soldier, identified as Nikita, kept him alive but under constant threat.
“You are unarmed. I will not shoot you.”
Tense survival
For two weeks, the pair remained in the trench, surviving on minimal supplies delivered by drone.
Lietunov described erratic behavior from Nikita, who at times threatened to kill him.
“He would turn into a maniac, put a gun to my forehead and say, ‘I’ll kill you right now.’ Then there was silence. I heard him put the gun away.”
The Ukrainian soldier said he relied on psychological tactics to stay alive.
Over time, Lietunov tried to persuade Nikita that surrendering would be a better option.
“One morning he said to me: ‘Maybe I should surrender to you?’ I replied: ‘There is no need.’ But I told him that we had better conditions: three meals a day, cigarettes, the Geneva Convention,” he said.
Eventually, contact was made with Ukrainian forces using a drone.
“I thought, ‘Either this is the end, or this is the beginning of a new life,’” Lietunov recalled.
Escape and return
A Ukrainian armored vehicle later reached the position, allowing both men to leave.
“I didn’t think until the last moment that I would get out of there,” he said.
Nikita surrendered and was taken into custody, while Lietunov was reunited with his unit.
The soldier lost a toe due to frostbite and is now recovering after returning to his family.
Reflecting on the experience, he described his survival as extraordinary.
“It’s a miracle. One chance in a million, they told me. I was a prisoner. But in the end I escaped and I brought a prisoner. It’s something rare,” he said.
Sources: The Guardian, Digi24
