Captured Russian soldiers say they do not want war and wish to go home as they claim they were deceived by their commanders, according to a translation of a viral video.
A video of five Russian soldiers captured in Kharkiv by Ukrainian forces has begun to go viral on social media. The video was posted on Sunday and has so far amassed over 700,000 views.
The person recording the video interviewed each of the hand-bound soldiers and questioned why they were invading Ukraine. The soldiers said that they simply wanted to return home, did not want to invade Ukraine in the first place and were demoralized.
After being asked what military unit they belonged to by the person behind the camera, the Russian soldiers each replied with the numbers of their military unit.
When asked what purpose they came to Ukraine, the soldiers gave varying responses while suggesting they had been lied to and tricked into it.
The first Russian soldier said: "[We came here] for training. We were cheated a little, so that's how I am here."
The second Russian soldier replied: "For training. I was sent here by commanders."
The third soldier said: "We were told we were being sent for training at first, but we were put on the frontline. People were demoralized and didn't want to go, but they said you will become public enemies. We do not want this war. We just want to go home and we want peace."
The fourth soldier echoed these sentiments, saying: "They told us that everything would be fine. We knew nothing. We were deceived and abandoned."
Another captured in #Kharkov pic.twitter.com/6AdtrYwy79
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 27, 2022
Despite the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine only starting a few days ago, it has so far resulted in significant losses for Russia, according to the Ukrainian military.
Newsweek has reported on the apparent losses Russia has faced since invading the country on Thursday. More than 3,500 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion started and Putin's forces continue to push towards Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
In addition to the thousands of claimed deaths, nearly 200 members of the Russian military have also been captured, Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Saturday. Russia has also lost 14 airplanes, eight helicopters, 102 tanks, 536 armed vehicles, 15 heavy machine guns and one BUK missile since the invasion began, Ukraine's military said.
For comparison, fewer than 2,500 U.S. service members died in Afghanistan, a war that spanned two decades.
Ukraine's former president, Petro Poroshenko, also highlighted the number of 3,500 deaths while speaking on CNN on Friday.
"Putin should explain to the Russians why already 3,500 Russians are killed during the 72 hours of the Russian aggression," he said.
He also said that Putin's attack on Ukraine was an attack on the Western world and said it was important to stand up to Russia now.
"Putin has attacked the whole Western world. We are here fighting here not only for our people, not only for soil but also for freedom and democracy," he said.
"If Ukraine would be defeated, no one knows where tomorrow Putin will appear. That is why [we need to be] helping Ukraine and assisting Ukraine, it is an investment in your own security."
