"Don't Know the Purpose of War... Russian Soldiers Taken Prisoner Make Shocking Revelations: 'Putin Must Be Overthrown'"

On the 5th (local time), more than 10 Russian prisoners of war attended a foreign press conference held at the Interfax-Ukraine office, a news agency in Kyiv, Ukraine.
[Photo by Daily Mail]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Russian soldiers captured and taken prisoner by the Ukrainian military publicly voiced criticism of President Vladimir Putin.

On the 5th (local time), according to The New York Times (NYT), about 10 Russian prisoners of war attended a foreign press conference held at the Interfax-Ukraine office in Kyiv, Ukraine. NYT reported that this event was arranged to support the Ukrainian military authorities' claim of having captured many Russian soldiers.

The Russian prisoners who appeared at the press conference claimed that they had joined the war without fully understanding it. Lieutenant Dmitry Kovalenksy, a Russian prisoner of war, said, "I only learned about the invasion of Ukraine the night before the unit moved," and "The soldiers did not know where they were going until they crossed the border."

Another prisoner soldier who served in Moscow said, "I don't know the purpose of this war," and added, "I didn't want to go train far from the city. I was just thrown here like a kitten for the government's benefit."

One soldier revealed, "Young conscripts are dying here," and "President Putin does not want to inform what is happening, so he does not retrieve our bodies. They say they are missing, but that is a lie."

They appealed to the Russian people to stop this war. Lieutenant Kovalenksy emphasized, "The Russian leadership deceived even the army officers by calling it 'military training' while preparing for the invasion," and "The Russian people must rise up and overthrow President Putin."

Another prisoner said, "It is really different from what Russian TV says. I hope Russian people turn off the TV and do not listen to President Putin."

He added, "People should go out and block Russian roads so that Russian military equipment cannot pass," and "If everyone comes out to the streets, President Putin will decide to withdraw."

Earlier, shocking testimony emerged that the Russian military was reportedly shooting their own wounded soldiers. According to the American news weekly Newsweek on the 2nd, a video appeared recently on Twitter showing a Russian soldier, apparently captured as a prisoner, talking with his mother.

In the video, the soldier claimed that the Russian military does not recover the bodies of the dead and even kills the wounded. He said, "The Russian military killed everyone," and "I am alive and currently held as a prisoner." He also pleaded, "Please help me and others," and "Write letters to the unit or speak directly to the commanders."

This video spread widely online and caused a major stir. However, since it has not been specifically revealed when and where it was filmed, there are voices suggesting that the captured Russian soldier might be lying due to the surrounding environment and threats.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government claimed that from the 24th of last month to the 6th of this month, the number of Russian military casualties was about 11,000. However, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that as of the 2nd, 498 of their soldiers had died and 1,597 were wounded. Additionally, the Ukrainian military reported 2,870 deaths and 3,700 wounded.