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Assignment: The fate of Russia’s soldiers

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The fate of Russia’s soldiers

17/03/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - Assignment, The fate of Russia’s soldiers

Tim Whewell follows the story of a Russian prisoner of war in Ukraine

A Ukrainian social media channel is posting pictures and videos of dead and captured Russian soldiers. Tim Whewell speaks to the distraught family of one young prisoner of war.

Most Russians are getting a distorted picture of what Vladimir Putin calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Even the use of the words “war” or “invasion” is prohibited and state controlled TV does not acknowledge that Russian troops are attacking civilians. Yet news is filtering back to thousands of mothers of servicemen in the invasion force. Many say their sons were deceived about their mission and are being treated as cannon fodder. The Russian authorities and military commanders remain tight lipped. But Ukraine has posted pictures and videos of the dead and captured Russian soldiers on the internet. For Assignment, Tim Whewell follows the story of one young prisoner of war. He looked so terrified during an interrogation that a Ukrainian woman took pity on him and helped his family to get in touch, even though her own home in Odessa was shelled by Russian forces. Will the 21 year old soldier ever be able to return to his family and could the truth about Russia’s defeats and losses change attitudes to the war back home? 

Producers: Lucy Ash and Yulia Mineeva

(Image: Pro-Russian service member in an armoured vehicle in the Donetsk region of Ukraine March, 2022. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)

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