Journalist Alika Pikhtereva interviewed the captured soldiers, who witnessed firsthand the destruction caused by a Russian S-300 missile strike on May 25. The attack damaged a central building and injured 18 people, including a critically wounded 13-year-old boy. While the teenager has been discharged from the hospital, others remain in serious condition.
Communicating in Russian, as the prisoners do not understand Ukrainian, Pikhtereva learned that the men joined the Russian army under contracts motivated by financial needs such as mortgages and debts. Despite this, one prisoner admitted to fearing death.
During the interview, when asked about their thoughts on the attacks on civilian facilities, one prisoner described the situation as "an occupation and genocide on the Russian side."
"I saw it with my own eyes. Many soldiers are laying. Many children, adults, civilian objects," he said.
The prisoners expressed skepticism about stopping the violence, suggesting that change is unlikely as long as Vladimir Putin remains in power, citing the intimidation faced by the Russian populace.
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Additionally, the prisoners were taken to the ruins of the Epicenter hypermarket, destroyed earlier that day by Russian guided bombs, resulting in 19 fatalities, including two teenagers. Amid debris removal efforts, Pikhtereva noted the anger of many onlookers towards the Russian military, though the prisoners were kept under guard.
One prisoner reflected on the alleged purpose of their mission: "We think it's not what they said. In fact, it turned out to be the occupation. After seeing all this, we realized that everything is not at all as they said, as the Russian commanders say."
The journalist also questioned why Russia targeted civilian sites like Kharkiv, to which a prisoner replied, "They show us that there is military equipment and military infrastructure here. But I don't see any here."
The video did not include prisoners at the third site, the Faktor-Druk printing house, which was struck on May 23, killing seven employees.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Богуслав Романенко
