Interviewing Russian proxy army soldier in POW camp in Ukraine. Unedited version

Step into a Ukrainian detention center for Russian prisoners of war and watch an exclusive interview with a Russian proxy soldier. The Kyiv Independent's Alexander Khrebet spoke with a Ukrainian man who was forcibly conscripted into the Russian army in occupied Luhansk Oblast and later captured while fighting against Ukraine amid Russia's full-scale invasion.
The POW never attempted to make contact with Ukrainian authorities after being forcibly conscripted. Following an investigation, the Ukrainian court sentenced the POW for high treason and participation in an illegal detachment of Russia's proxy army in Luhansk Oblast and a terrorist organization.
Also, read the full story about the POW camp here: kyivindependent.com/inside-a-... and about the fate of forcibly conscripted Ukrainians among
Russian POWs in the camp here: kyivindependent.com/ukrainian...
The interview by Alexander Khrebet.
Filming by Liza Pyrozhkova.
To support the Kyiv Inependent go to kyivindependent.com/membership/

[@kyivindependent]

For those interested how Ukrainian POWs are treated by Russians - we just released an investigative documentary about that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5DViHd4iJ6HitE.

[@kyleblain2138]

I haven't watched this documentary yet but I've listened to interviews with Ukraine POWs that have come back and the Russians treat POWs like they are not even human. The that do make it back with be seriously screwed up without tons of therapy and help from the community. Truly sorry for what is happening to the people of Ukraine.

[@calmlikeabomb2140]

Good Luck having an Opinion in Russia.

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

ahahaha, yes. There he would not be able to speak freely

[@mariabengtssonviking]

thanks for this video

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

thank you for watching

[@live_free_or_perish]

There should be some way for Ukrainians in occupied territory to escape into free Ukraine. They should facilitate this. But as I listen to more of this interview it's not clear this guy really wants to be in free Ukraine.

[@EEX97623]

Civilian evac has been ongoing under fire since the war started

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

What he does want is to be swapped to Russia and then to come back to occupied Luhansk because he was sentenced in Ukraine.

[@Finnbearl61r]

@@AlexanderKhrebetexactly, sentenced to 13 years for treason for cooperating with the ruSSians. He’s ready to gamble and be exchanged.. he doesn’t know how lucky he is he hasn’t been exchanged..

[@carolwilliams8511]

He sounds russified which is sad.

[@SickBastard69]

Free Ukraine 😂😂😂😂😂😂 you delusional, free Ukraine 😂😂😂😂

[@69kiwijon]

This guy is crazy he wants to be swapped so he can go back to where his family is, but doesn't he realize he doesn't get to go home when he is swapped he will be question by the russian then given his weapon to return to the front lines to try and kill his own country men, he is Ukrainian that lives in illegally annexed territory yet goes back to fight against Ukraine doesn't that make him a traitor as a Ukrainian fighting against Ukraine it does not seem like he objected to being mobilized...

[@EEX97623]

Didn’t Russia stop swapping POWs? Or has this changed?

[@customfantasyhotwheels]

He IS a traitor. If he loved russia so much he should have relocated there BEFORE the full 2022 invasion. I would have done the *right thing* to him after learning his history, if I were a Ukrainian soldier defending my country. 39:46 He DOESN'T feel guilty! I see no reason for this pathetic excuse of a man to continue sharing the same breath as his Ukrainian captors.

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

Yes, Russia will interrogate him so hard after spending over a year in POW camp in Ukraine

[@carolwilliams8511]

I agree. He is either naive or completely russified.

[@ayoungethan]

​@@carolwilliams8511is there a difference between naive and russified in this case? Naivety is a precondition for russification to believe the nonsense Ruscists spew about Russian and Ukrainian culture and history...

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for watching this video. Parts of this interview were also included in our reportage from the POW camp in Ukraine (you can watch the report here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmTJmmyar5ZkY7M). We decided to post the full version to show that the interview wasn't tampered with, and the interviewee had the opportunity to speak freely about how he is being treated at the camp. If you want to support our work - please subscribe and help us grow our channel.

[@Aurleis]

Very fine example of unbiased journalism, and excellent informative interview. Thank you @KyivIndependant

[@fafnir4182]

First of all, my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in this very interesting interview! So here are my thoughts: For those interested in the world, of which there are far too few in my opinion, a more direct because of the linguistic aspect an easier introduction to the topic than on other channels. My comment therefore relates more to the linguistic aspect, the language used during the interview, than to the content of the interview. There are already plenty of comments on this from others here. For me as a European (English is not my native language either by the way) who watches the interviews on Zolkin's channel almost every day despite the lack of proper English subtitles, this is an interesting and rare occasion. For me it seems as if the interviewee and the interviewer are on "neutral ground", so to speak, and the same goes for the viewers. This makes it a more directly experienced event for many people around the world. A rare event in view of the fact that, apart from a few rare exceptions, there are in general probably relatively few people in Russia (at least outside Moscow and St Petersburg) and as well as among Ukrainians over the age of 30-40, who can communicate in the international lingua franca of our time. Also interesting for me: the questions of the younger Ukrainian interviewer would probably have been asked in the same way by a questioner from abroad. This is also a positive expression of the fact that, in contrast to Russia, a more liberal and open world of thought has developed in Ukraine over the last 30-40 years. Even more interesting, also from the point of view of further neutrality and for better authenticity of the interview, would be the direct participation of a foreign interviewer, who would also contribute questions to the interview, possibly with further lines of thought. However, this is probably difficult to realise in the current situation. More such interviews if possible and Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

Thank you for your lovely feedback. We'll try to record more interviews with the POWs at this camp, but the access there is not that easy.

[@fafnir4182]

@@AlexanderKhrebet Ok, thank you very much for the feedback and the info. I understand access to the POWs is not always possible and requires authentication by the authorities which might not be generally granted to everyone or only to approved persons. 🙂 No worries, we‘ll be patient enough to wait … 😉

[@5anjuro]

Interviews in a foreign language often tend to be more straightforward and less emotionally charged, both sides tend to stick to the facts and neutral interpretations.

[@Eddiebigballs01]

Do you think they know Russia doesn't care about them? The interviewee seemed to think they are the same as 'real Russians', but I'm not sure most Russians would agree.

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

I'm not sure if he realizes Russia doesn't care about him. And yes, he thinks he like real Russians, but real Russians consider him a Ukrainian

[@docinparadise]

Obviously he doesn’t know that Russia doesn’t care about the people they were supposed to “liberate”. He seems to think exchanges are done by “lottery” and not who is most valuable in Russia. I have no sympathy for him. He went without complaint to kill Ukrainians.

[@hagvaktok]

I doubt it's a lottery to get exchanged. If the prisoner has 'connections', he is exchanged. Or Money.

[@Eddiebigballs01]

I imagine that LDNR people are also well, well down the list of people the Russians want back. As far as they are concerned their life gets easier if the LDNR natives are out of the picture either way.

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

@@Eddiebigballs01 there are no such a thing like ldnr people. Those are Ukrainians living under Russian occupation for almost a decade. Since 2014. But yes, Russia used them as human shield and a lot of men as cannon fodder. And now Moscow sometimes doesn't want them to be swapped because they prefer original Russians.

[@bobjohnbowles]

Prisoners get exchanged when the family members pressure the authorities to make it happen. It is possible his wife does not even know he is captured. But the fact he has now been convicted as a collaborator may make him less valuable to the occupiers, or possibly there are those in the Ukrainian security services who want to keep an eye on him.

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

​@@AlexanderKhrebethe is probably russian, moat people on the donbass are russian. It was novorossiya after all.. They won that land from the nomadic turco-mongols and settled it with their people 100s of years ago.. Its russia and russians.. Now that doesn't mean putins russian can just scoop it up whenever it desires

[@emiliat.5881]

@kyiv independent I am curious, are these prisoners seeing themselves as Russians? Because there must be a difference between the Luhansk’s peoples republic (which is now annexed into Russia by Putin) and Russia. But still want to fight in the Russian army? Or are they a-political like most Russians are and just taking things as they come. Is he aware that he could be drafted again? And than be killed?

[@natalieturko4808]

Be aware that the reason there are so many Russians in occupied territories is because Russia shipped them over there decades ago. After the Holodomor where up to 10 million Ukrainians were deliberately starved to death during Stalin's forced collectivization of the farmlands, Russia moved Russians there to fill in the horrific loss of Ukrainian lives.

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

He says it on the video, that he feels himself the same with Russians.

[@Canaryluv]

The interview has better english skills than the university teacher.

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

thanks :)

[@bobjohnbowles]

Speaking as a qualified EFL native English speaker that does not surprise me. If you had good qualifications to teach English I think post-2014 Luhansk would be about the last place most people would choose.

[@ExVeritateLibertas]

Thank you for the interview. Well, just two comments. According to his answers, obviously the guy considers himself Russian, not Ukrainian, and he did not try to avoid service (even if he did not volunteer). So calling him a forcibly conscripted Ukrainian in the video description is not really accurate. Second, if he's been sentenced to 13 years for treason that puts in a different light why he's not been exchanged. The question I did not see answered is whether any other DNR or LNR prisoners have been exchanged. If not, it would seem Ukraine would prefer to keep these men to serve their sentences.

[@janweigel9769]

Imagine commiting treason against a country that wouldve given you freedom for a country that sees you as a sedond class citizen lol

[@ayoungethan]

Just a thought about interpreting his responses... remember he is probably aware this is public and he must choose to walk a tight rope. He strikes me as one of the many people who just wants to "live and let live" and not "rock the boat" too much. He didn't want to go to war, but Putin’s Russia imposes high penalties on refuseniks. Not just imprisonment, but torture, threats against family, etc. So the fact that he is giving an interview publicly will change the nature and substance of his response, especially considering the likelihood of harsh treatment by Ruscists were he to eg speak against the war (vs "SMO") or Russia. The fact that he can be so vague and refuse to answer questions is itself evidence of him using Ukrainian freedom of speech to avoid Ruscist repression. Deeply ironic. But he is trying to play it safe especially because his fate as a POW is unclear. It could he why he agreed to give the interview. It demonstrates differences in the treatment of captives, sure, part of which allows them to be ambiguous or circumspect in answering questions about loyalties given the uncertainty about whose anger or wrath he will have to deal with, when, and under what circumstances. Someone else insisted this interview is a "war crime" without justification. It is a gray area, but I would say not in this case. politics.stackexchange.com/a/72436 "There's no clear red line of when a video becomes prohibited, but the surrounding language suggests the provision is about protecting prisoners from humiliation or intimidation. If a POW is genuinely okay with giving an interview or being on camera, and if it's not being done in a way that would humiliate him, it's probably above board." His identity is protected and there is no evidence of torture or coercion and some circumstantial evidence that he is well-treated.

[@docinparadise]

I think you give this man too much credit. He went without complaint to kill Ukrainians. Would you do that?

[@jacobthesettler7616]

both of side was very polite in front of camera, behind the scene idk lol

[@jeanpascaud4218]

I understand only french and german Why is there not english subtitles ?😢

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

there are English subtitles automatically created by KZbin

[@sajinimirihagalla4969]

Sir .any srilankan in camp?

[@delislep01]

Interesting video and interview, but this man is a POW even if he's from Luhansk, Art 13. Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity. I'm troubled the Kyiv Independent is publishing this kind of videos on youtube, you are supposed to be the good guys....

[@BoB10]

If these people return home they will be sent back to fight they do not get home, I have seen that Ukraine soldiers do not be treated good they are all starving loss of weight and also a lot of them are castrated by the Russian army doctors they get tortured, So they are treated very bad by their Russian captors, Merry Christmas to all Ukraine .🎅🎄

[@FinnskogData]

To the exchange...... Слава Україні та її воїнам 🇺🇦Героям слава 🇺🇦 Слава Україні🇺🇦

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

Героям слава!

[@davedee1244]

Does he consider himself Ukrainian or Russian?

[@MeliFella]

if you listen to him, he considers himself russian.

[@davedee1244]

@@MeliFellaI agree but I would have liked him to respond to the question though.

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

he repeated Russian propaganda falsely claiming Ukrainians and Russians are the same people.

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

​@@MeliFellathey didnt ask it.. Most people in donbass are russias and always have been in the past 18th and 19th century it was even high.. A large portion russian population died in the famines as did many cossacks. After this a ukrainianization happened breifly.. But intermarriage between russians and ukrainians which is very high makes it hard to say who is ukrainian and who is russian. This applies to all of ukraine, . many cities were historically majority russian in identity as with budjak and odessa and kharkiv and kiev.. But with 75 years of the ussr these cities became russian speaking but ukrainian in identity.. Donbass, crimea and budjak stayed strongly russian leaning in the population and never took to ukrainianization and in crimea after transfer there was frequent protests against ukrainization right up until the fall of the ussr. Nobody wanted ukraine in crimea ever.. Donbass was different, people were russian but felt connected to ukraine and ukrainians, hence it was harder to orchestrate an uprising as there was no native desire for it. ..

[@viktorias63]

Probably Ukrainian, as they are Ukrainians after all

[@anneankaspilling]

I thought it was illegal to interview pow still in prison. The journalist that came from England did this and he was taken off KZbin and his bank account frozen by the Uk government. So what is really going on here ???

[@Jole30]

This is a war crime..

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

yes, forced conscription in the occupied territories is a war crime, according to the Geneva Conventions

[@rarra4]

He conceded to the interview, so no…

[@Jole30]

@@rarra4 Even if he did,. Its still a war crime..

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

@@rarra4 yes, if the POW agrees to the interview, which he did and said in the video, this is not a war crime. If you need more persuading, the journalists are not subjected to the Geneva Conventions, so in any case, it's not a war crime.

[@freddiej2411]

No it's not Russian bot. He's was not forced, or coerced & he's clearly not under any duress. Besides he's a Ukrainian, so technically, if he suited up for a fake country to fight against his actual country, he's either a "terrorist," or mercenary in which Geneva conventions do not apply. Now since you're so amped to point out war crimes, care to discuss the MANY your beloved country is committing? 🤔

[@Dublinireland5]

🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮💓🇸🇮 don't always believe what you hear and see make your own mind up..

[@yaboyflvckor456]

hmm, speaks too good english to be russian...

[@b0w3rick43]

He's an english teacher 🤷‍♂️ and not ruZZian but Ukrainian from LNR

[@AlexanderKhrebet]

he used to work as an English teacher at the university in Luhansk

[@viktorias63]

He's not Russian,pay attention