The soldiers took an oath to fight for Russia, state media said, and would be deployed to front lines with a formation said to be in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Russia said a battalion of Ukrainian prisoners of war, or POWs, would soon be sent to the front lines to fight against their own country, state media reported.
State media said troops had taken an oath of allegiance, but the move could still be a violation of international laws concerning warfare. It also raises questions about the need to use POWs, in particular about the state and quality of Russia's forces as they suffer a high number of casualties on the battlefield.
On November 7, the Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti said Ukrainian POWs in the "Bogdan Khmelnitsky" battalion swore an oath of allegiance to Russia and would soon deploy into battle. The outlet had said in late October that Russian authorities were planning to send the group — described as a battalion including about 70 prisoners from various penal colonies — to the front lines and that they were conducting relevant training in preparation.
Pulling the same shjt the Nazis did to people of Alsace (France), my grandfather had to fight on the side of Germany in 1940. Luckily he defected and live to tell the tale (making my own existence a reality) 🫡
My grandpa was forcibly recruited in Poland and defected later to fight against nazis. The funny shit though is - my grandma was German. So dad applied for German citizenship for the entire family. We all got it, except for him (the person who had the most emotional connection to the country). Reason being? His dad betrayed the German state.
My dad got denied a citizenship cause his dad betrayed Hitler lol
Best of luck returning to their home and being repatriated with the mental health support they'll need from this experience. Praying for the heros to be able to identify and have an opportunity to rescue them.
Curious how that will work out in an actual combat scenario.
Is there just a direct line of sight to would-be defectors at all times? Seems like in the heat of battle, it would be pretty difficult for Russians to fight their own soldiers as well as Ukraine's.
More likely, they’ll be told to blindly run towards hidden Ukrainian positions to help expose them. All while being shot at by russians behind them. It’s disgusting, the thought of being forced into friendly fire for tactical gain…
A weird symmetry with the tales about russian squads that are singularly tasked with shooting any russian that retreats…
They will most likely be used to attract javelin missiles in barely working vehicles while flanked by tanks or they will find anti infantry mines the hard way. There is no escape except death.
Russia said a battalion of Ukrainian prisoners of war, or POWs, would soon be sent to the front lines to fight against their own country, state media reported.
It also raises questions about the need to use POWs, in particular about the state and quality of Russia's forces as they suffer a high number of casualties on the battlefield.
On November 7, the Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti said Ukrainian POWs in the "Bogdan Khmelnitsky" battalion swore an oath of allegiance to Russia and would soon deploy into battle.
The outlet had said in late October that Russian authorities were planning to send the group — described as a battalion including about 70 prisoners from various penal colonies — to the front lines and that they were conducting relevant training in preparation.
Around Avdiivka on the border of occupied Donetsk, Russia has launched a renewed offensive that's resulted in significant Russian casualties, as well as severe vehicle losses.
The battalion of POWs has previously been called a "volunteer" group, and its commander said their contracts were "concluded on general terms," RIA Novosti reported.
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