Russian Soldier Held Prisoner By Ukraine Asks Putin ‘Why He Killed’ So Many Fellow Troops

A Russian soldier who Ukraine is holding as a war prisoner said in a video interrogation that President Vladimir Putin “betrayed” his fellow Russian troops. 

Sergey Saranchin, 33, a junior Russian sergeant, criticized Putin and the war in Ukraine in a video posted to Telegram by Oleksandr Syrskyi, a Colonel General Commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces.

Saranchin believes that something needs to change in Russia, according to Syrskyi, because many Russian troops have died in the war believing that there are fascists in Ukraine. 

"I see the guys here. Most of them, 90%, speak Russian. Everyone says they don't need this war, but we're still here. I haven't seen any nazis or fascists the whole time…No one replaced us, and no one was going to,” he said, according to Syrskyi, during the interrogation, which was translated and cited by Ukrainian news outlet  RBC-Ukraine. 

Syrskyi said that the soldier was captured after surrendering following a fight between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

“The assault began, they were offered to surrender, they did not fight, because there was no artillery, they surrendered as prisoners,” the Ukrainian commander wrote on Telegram, adding that “no one was beaten in captivity.”

In his Telegram post, Syrski wrote that Russians shouldn’t enter Ukraine because they will not live much longer in the war.

“I would like to ask Putin why he killed so many Russians,” the Ukrainian commander wrote.