Captured Russian soldiers have spoken from a Ukrainian war camp, claiming that they were thrown into the conflict by 'jackals' without proper combat training.
The prisoners of war, captured by Ukrainian forces after Russia launched its invasion in February, were exclusively interviewed in a Dnipro war camp by The Sun.
The soldiers appeared in good spirits and health, and revealed they had already been visited by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross to ensure they are being treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention.
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The Geneva Convention ensures prisoners of war are treated humanely, regardless of country of origin, sex, faith, or gender.
The two prisoners showed reporters around the camp and how their bedrooms that can sleep up to eight men.
Names of the two soldiers selected by guards for interview have been changed to keep both them and their families safe from Kremlin backlash.
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One soldier, given the pseudonym Vadim, was told of the alleged war crimes of his fellow soldiers against the Ukrainian people, including hundreds of accounts of murders, torture and rape.
"I have thought about war crimes a lot. I believe it," Vadim said.
He took aim at Russia's military and called all but one commander who was nice to him 'jackals'.
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“They don’t care about their men. They treat us like dogs," he said.
Vadim added: “A lot of people think it is the second army in the world, but we have nothing. We have no training, we have no equipment and it is a crime to say that in Russia."
A second soldier, referred to as Ivan, said he feared he would be shot when surrendering.
He chose to surrender after passing out from a shrapnel wound and was subsequently abandoned by his regiment.
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Ivan told reporters that he had joined the army to save up for a car, and up until the Russian invasion he had mostly driven a snow plough around Murmansk to clear the roads.
"I wanted to get my driving licence and buy a Toyota Camry," he said, adding he extended his service to support his girlfriend through medical school.
A few months later, Russia invaded Ukraine.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
Topics: Vladimir Putin, Russia, Ukraine, News
Rachel Lang