Kathrine Frich
For many soldiers, captivity is imagined as the worst possible fate of war.
Yet for some, the moment of release marks the beginning of a different ordeal altogether.
Accounts emerging from Russia suggest that returning home is often not an option.
After captivity
Russian soldiers freed from Ukrainian captivity face interrogations, suspicion and renewed punishment upon their return, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
Instead of being treated as survivors, they are subjected to weeks of questioning by security services.
The paper recounts the case of one soldier who hoped to attend his son’s birthday after being released. Instead, he was interrogated for weeks and then sent back to the front line, where he was later killed.
The stated aim of the interrogations is to uncover alleged betrayal or collaboration with Ukraine.
Treated with suspicion
Former prisoners told the newspaper they are met with humiliation and shame. Once commanders are informed of a soldier’s capture, all financial benefits are suspended.
Some soldiers said they were instructed by superiors to carry grenades and kill themselves rather than risk being taken prisoner.
Russia has also introduced criminal liability for voluntary surrender. One serviceman, Roman Ivanishin, has already been sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security prison.
Branded disloyal
The Wall Street Journal also cited the case of Pavlo Guguyev, a 45-year-old soldier accused of collaborating with a foreign state.
He faces up to eight years in prison for giving interviews to Ukrainian journalists.
Russia’s Federal Security Service classifies such men as individuals who have “lost trust,” according to the report.
“They are not allowed to return home,” Guguyev’s newspaper quoted him as saying.
No way back
Soldiers branded untrustworthy are often sent straight back to the battlefield or assigned to forced manual labor without access to weapons.
Others with mental health issues are placed in guard units, according to the accounts.
The treatment shows a system in which survival itself becomes grounds for punishment, reinforcing fear among those still fighting.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, o2
