Maria is only one month old when her father goes to war. She hasn't seen him since. Only recently, the two-year-old girl had her first contact with her father during a video chat, the mother, Anna Lobova, told ARD. “But instead of hearing a greeting, my husband was met with a terrible cry, for the child was frightened by him, and my husband burst into tears.“ Because of the poor connection, he could only hear the child, but not see him. “Two people who are related by blood know almost nothing about each other, like they are strangers”, says Anna.
Oleg, Anna Lobova's husband, has been in Russian captivity for two years. He was among the fighters in “Azovstal” who defended Mariupol for months before they had to surrender. His call became the first sign of life in a long time. The situation is the same with the relatives of other soldiers from the battalion.
Video with an appeal to Zelensky
Maria Alekseevich also suddenly receives the news that she can talk to her husband Serhii – after a long period of obscurity. In a group on the channel “Telegram” an appeal was issued – the wives of the men lined up by name to call, says Maria. When she answered, she was promised an opportunity to hear from her husband on the phone in about two weeks and was assured that the conversation would remain confidential.
Serhiy actually calls – the two have a chance to talk for about a minute. But their conversation does not remain confidential – just a few minutes later, his recording appeared on the Internet, writes ARD. It turns out that Maria's husband was recorded during the conversation. His video message was also distributed on the Internet.
The man looked very emaciated, and his face - drunk. The video shows him looking into the camera and addressing Ukrainian President Zelensky directly in Russian: “Mr. President! Please do your best to get me exchanged as soon as possible“.
Similar videos were filmed with other prisoners of war – all asking for a recent exchange. Some ask why they are not helped – under the condition that they served Ukraine faithfully and followed orders.
Torture and death in Russian captivity
The men, who according to Ukrainian media are still in Russian captivity, are from the Azov Regiment (with a total of 900 fighters). For more than a year now, not a single fighter could be released by exchange. And those who were exchanged talk about the horrific conditions in Russian captivity.
One of them, 27 years old, who refused to give his name, told ARD: “Every day started with torture. Before breakfast they beat us with all possible means – hammers, clubs, fists and tasers.“ Most of the time the prisoners did not leave their cells. For lunch there was water with cabbage, and in the evening they were beaten again.
The soldier spent 120 days in Russian captivity, was exchanged in September 2022. His testimony about the conditions in captivity is covered by the testimony of other victims. The UN prepared a report for which they interviewed 60 former prisoners of war. And they talk about torture in Russian prisons, and there were constant deaths behind bars. At the end of July, it became known that a 55-year-old soldier from the Azov Brigade died in Rostov-on-Don. The cause of his death remains unknown.
"Talks are not to be trusted"
Every day in Russian captivity is a day of torture, Petro Yatsenko, spokesperson of the Coordination Staff for issues related to prisoners of war, told ARD. This office negotiates directly with the Russians to make exchanges – the goal is to return Ukrainian citizens as quickly as possible. "However, the big problem is that the Russian side sometimes postpones the exchange or even stops it," says Yatsenko. For example, after one exchange in August 2023, there were no others at all.
Meanwhile, Russia's pressure against Ukraine is growing, Yatsenko points out: the type of calls to loved ones and the spread of video messages are an example of this. He is convinced that the goal pursued by Russia is one – to impress upon loved ones that Ukraine is not doing enough to save its people from captivity. “Families should not trust these staged video messages and conversations,”, he advises. “Everything is monitored all the time and what is said is recorded under pressure.“
Maria Alekseevich also believes that Russia pursues certain goals with the video messages, writes ARD. But her husband Serhiy's request for an exchange is genuine, she points out. Together with other wives of arrested fighters from Azov, she founded an initiative with which she wants to draw attention to the fate of the prisoners. The Ukrainian government's assurances that all prisoners of war will be exchanged and that Russia is delaying the exchange are no longer enough, she believes.
Author: Nils Bula ARD