Russia is offering Ukrainian POWs to ‘switch sides and occupy Europe together’

When Ukraine and Russia agreed past week to speech their prisoners of warfare successful a 1,000-for-1,000 swap, for tens of thousands of Ukrainians, this was a glimpse of hope. 

In astir cases, families and friends of Ukrainian POWs do not cognize wherever their loved ones are being kept, wherever and if they are being moved, what conditions they are being held successful aliases moreover whether they are alive. 

All they tin do is travel to nan POW’s exchanges pinch photos of nan missing aliases captured Ukrainian soldiers, hoping that immoderate of those who sewage exchanged could admit nan faces of nan missing and springiness astatine slightest immoderate accusation to nan family, if they were held successful nan aforesaid situation aliases sometimes moreover nan aforesaid sell.

The photos often person a penning pinch a name, a brigade, and sometimes a day of disappearance, erstwhile nan families cognize nan date. 

On 6 May, a Ukrainian mother attended nan swap. She held a emblem pinch nan photograph of her son, hoping for news astir him, erstwhile 1 of nan released defenders recognised him, telling her that he was successful nan aforesaid compartment pinch nan missing worker and he was live and "holding up well". 

Nine retired of 10 Ukrainian defenders are being subjected to torture successful Russian prisons, going done beingness and civilized torture, intersexual violence, forbidden sentencing and convulsive execution. 

Volodymyr Labuzov, chief aesculapian serviceman of nan 36th Marine Brigade, was 1 of them. He was stationed successful Mariupol erstwhile Russia started its full-scale penetration successful early 2022.

His portion was defending nan besieged metropolis for weeks until immoderate of them, including Labuzov, were captured by Russian forces successful April 2022. 

Labuzov told Euronews that together pinch nan Ukrainian soldiers, Russia is holding captive thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including children, "who person thing to do pinch nan Armed Forces of Ukraine and they should beryllium returned without immoderate conditions, without immoderate agreements."

Labuzov said they should beryllium released without preconditions. In summation to nan POW exchange, a 1000 for a 1000 is good, but it is only bully if it is exclusively military. 

“Russia doesn’t make immoderate quality betwixt nan soldiers and civilians successful their captivity”, Labuzov explained, adding that astir of nan civilians held successful prisons were taken location from "the territories that Russia allegedly liberated and allegedly brought them happiness and freedom. But nan curen is nan aforesaid for some civilians and subject personnel."

It is not clear really galore Ukrainian civilians are being held successful Russian prisons and really galore much are remaining nether Russian occupation, pinch akin treatment.

"They are now forced into specified conditions that if you want conscionable to unrecorded aliases to moreover locomotion nan streets of your villages, you must return Russian citizenship. Without Russian citizenship - you are a nobody, you person nary rights," Labuzov said.

“If this is not a genocide of nan Ukrainian nation, past really tin we construe these conditions that Russia is imposing connected nan Ukrainians successful nan temporarily occupied territories? This is 1 of nan top displays of genocide of nan Ukrainian federation by its bluish neighbour.”

If nan civilians do not judge nan conditions aliases "God forbid, put up immoderate guidance to nan Russian troops," nan territories are simply wiped disconnected nan look of nan earth, Labuzov said. 

“This is what happened successful Mariupol and I personally witnessed nan demolition of this city. I witnessed nan demolition of civilians, I witnessed nan demolition of municipality infrastructure.”

Russian forces past did nan aforesaid to Avdiivka, Bakhmut and Soledar, according to Labuzov: "There's conscionable thing left. There are ruins."

In galore interviews, Ukrainian prisoners of warfare said they were told many times that Ukraine didn’t beryllium anymore, that their state had forgotten astir them. Labuzov added that they are besides offered to move sides and subordinate Russian forces to past "together inhabit Europe."

“During 1 of nan interrogations, these torturers offered maine cooperation. They told maine nan 1 extremity they had was to 'come subordinate america and we spell connected to inhabit Europe together," he recalled.

Labuzov told Euronews almost each Ukrainian POWs person this offer: "These torturers say, ‘Come to us, we will liberate Ukraine, we will spell connected to seizure Europe'." 

“I dream that European nine will go much willing successful nan events and horrors that are happening connected nan territory of Ukraine and to nan Ukrainians successful Russian captivity," Labuzov concluded.