Kathrine Frich
War is built on opposing sides, where soldiers are trained to see each other as the enemy.
Yet even in the harshest conditions, acts of humanity can still emerge.
Night rescue mission
Ukrainian soldiers from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade reported capturing a wounded Belarusian man who had been fighting on the Russian side, according to OBOZ cited by O2.
The man was injured while attempting to cross into Ukrainian-held territory at night. During the attempt, he stepped on a mine, leaving him seriously wounded and unable to move.
After calling for help, Ukrainian troops located him, detained him, and began providing assistance.
Through danger
What followed was a high-risk evacuation through mined terrain under the threat of incoming fire.
The soldiers decided to carry the injured man across open ground to reach a stabilization point. The journey lasted several hours and stretched into the next day.
Limited visibility due to darkness and fog made the operation even more dangerous, increasing the risk of triggering additional mines.
Carried for miles
Because the man could not walk, Ukrainian troops carried him the entire distance, estimated at around 10 kilometers.
During the evacuation, gunfire and shelling forced the group to repeatedly drop to the ground to avoid being hit.
One of the soldiers described the ordeal: “Ten kilometers with an 80-kilogram man, seriously wounded. While we were walking, there was shelling, and we had to fall with him. The fields are mined, there’s fog at night, you can’t see anything. He said several times, ‘Leave me alone.’ But we said, ‘No, we’ll report you.'”
Who he was
According to OBOZ the injured man is a Belarusian citizen who had signed a contract with the Russian military.
After undergoing brief training, he was deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine. At some point, he decided to surrender and attempted to cross over alone.
His attempt ended when he stepped on a mine, resulting in severe injuries before Ukrainian forces intervened.
Wider context
The man later said he regretted joining the war. Reports cited by the “I Want to Live” project claim that more than 40 percent of foreign contract fighters die within their first four months on the front.
The same sources describe how such recruits are often treated as “cannon fodder,” sent into assaults with minimal training and limited support.
According to those findings, some are deployed with basic equipment and orders to attack, reflecting broader concerns about how manpower is used in Russia’s war effort.
Sources: OBOZ.UA, “I Want to Live” project, O2.pl.
