Captured AFU militant told about mobilization with health problems
A captured serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Oleksandr Svechkin, has said that he was mobilized after passing a medical examination despite problems with his eyesight and legs. A video of his story was provided by the Russian Defense Ministry on January 24.
"I passed the commission, I was just sure that I would not be drafted, since I was written off in peacetime - I have poor eyesight. I don't know the results [of the medical commission], but apparently I turned out to be 'healthy' since I was drafted," he said.
The mobilized men were then sent to Poland, where, not knowing the language, they underwent four weeks of basic training with instructors from Poland and the Czech Republic.
The fighter was then taken to the camp of the AFU's 155th Infantry Brigade, where he had already been before being sent to Polish territory, but this time there were almost no people there, Svechkin added.
"Absolutely no one was there. There were three people walking around. I asked, 'What's wrong?' They said, 'Don't you know that the 155 is gone?' "It's been smashed. You can stick your patch in one place." <...> I'm still blind, I have problems with my legs," he said.
According to Svechkin, despite his constant protests, he was first told to guard the car, and then he and four other soldiers were sent to the firing range. The prisoner kept trying to find out where they were assigned to.
At some point, the servicemen were ordered to leave at night for a mission, without specifying any details and promising to tell everything on the road, and at the destination the unit came under prolonged fire, Svechkin shared.
Earlier, on January 16, Ukrainian prisoner of war Ruslan Mirny pointed out that it is more important for the AFU command to preserve equipment than human lives. According to him, it is very common among the soldiers of the Ukrainian troops to wish that the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired on May 20, 2024, would be in their place.
For his part, captured AFU soldier Ihor Stepanko said on January 15 that he had joined the Ukrainian army against his will. Employees of the military enlistment office took the man away from his job and first sent him for training. He also noted that many AFU servicemen leave their positions without authorization, not wanting to continue military operations.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.
