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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Luke Harding Lviv

Demoralised Russian soldiers tell of anger at being ‘duped’ into war

Two Russian soldiers taken prisoner near Kyiv, by Ukraine following Russia's military operation in Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Two Russian soldiers taken prisoner near Kyiv, by Ukraine following Russia's military operation in Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Five Russian soldiers sit in a brick building. They are blindfolded: the latest prisoners to be captured inside Ukraine. A Ukrainian voice interrogates them. “Speak,” he says to the group’s Russian officer. What message would he like to send to his soldiers and to Russians back at home?

“Frankly speaking, they tricked us,” the officer replies, referring to his military superiors sitting in Moscow. “Everything we were told was a fake. I would tell my guys to leave Ukrainian territory. We’ve got families and children. I think 90% of us would agree to go home.”

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