Few spoons of porridge, lake water, no medical help: former prisoner on conditions in Russia's Olenivka prison 

The journalist of Espreso.West spoke with the soldier about the conditions of stay in a Russian prison.

On June 29, the largest exchange of prisoners since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine took place. At that time, it was possible to return about one and a half hundred Ukrainian soldiers, most of whom are defenders of Azovstal. 

We could still hold the defense, but we were ordered to surrender to the enemy

All servicemen had various injuries and were captured on May 16. Among them was Vasyl (call sign Kazantip), a soldier of the 36th Detached Marine Brigade. The man has been fighting with the Marines for over a year. He joined the brigade as a volunteer.  According to him, the aggravation in the Mariupol direction began even before February 24. 

"A lot of Russian equipment began to converge", Kazantip said. "We heard it and understood that something large-scale was going to happen. Then we stood and waited for that moment. Even before the full-scale invasion, Russian tanks, ATGMs, and Skifs fired at us well. We had to retreat to Volontyorovka, because the positions were held better there".

Then the defense of the city began. It was very difficult, the shelling did not stop. The Russians used all the weapons they had in their arsenal.

"The tanks and BMPs fired the most", the defender said. "The airstrikes were non-stop. The city was razed to the ground. It's gone now, only ruins remain. Occasionally there was a lull, probably when ammunition was brought to them or something, I don't know. In other cases there was constant shelling".

At the end of May, Kazantip together with the defenders of Azovstal was captured by the Russian invaders. The warrior is convinced that they were able to hold their positions, but they received an order from the command to surrender.

They were abused in captivity. It happened that the ribs and arms of the captives were broken

Then all the defenders of Azovstal were taken by bus to the prison in Olenivka. The soldiers walked part of the way, despite the fact that many of them were in poor health. According to Kazantip, there was almost no one from international organizations. Only when they surrendered, there were a few people from the Red Cross, but after that they were gone. 

"They got on the buses, took some lists and left. That was the end of their work", Vasyl said. "Then they took us to a prison. There were Russians and fighters from the LPD and DPR there. During their time in captivity, they had to visit different prisons: Sverdlovsk, Sukhodol, and a pre-trial detention center in Luhansk. During interrogations, they filled out some questionnaires, asked for information about relatives and place of residence. Up to six hundred people could be in one barrack. Those who surrendered on orders were somehow still treated normally. Those whom they captured had their arms and ribs broken. They gave two to three spoons of porridge a day. Water was brought from a lake by a fire truck. 500 liters were brought, but it was quickly disassembled for six hundred people. However, it was not good like that, even when boiled - it was not tasty. Medical aid was not provided to the wounded".

On the day of the exchange, the defender did not believe that he was returning home.

"I didn't believe their promises anymore", Kazantip added. We were constantly on the go. On the day of the exchange, I thought I was being taken to another prison again. Only when I saw my relatives, then I was already happy".

Currently, the defender is undergoing rehabilitation at a specialized center in the Lviv region. He is preparing to master the prosthesis. During the defense of Mariupol, Vasyl's leg was torn off by an explosion back in March. Then he was in hospitals and in the basement of Azovstal. After his release from captivity, the defender persistently performs all exercises with a rehabilitation specialist and wants to return to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.