Captured Russian soldier: “In Russia, soldiers are doomed to die no matter what”

This information was shared in a video released by the 82nd Brigade.

Sergei Fateyev signed his contract on May 22, 2025. He said he wanted to “cleanse his record” to avoid having a criminal record and to look good in front of his son and wife.

He recalled that after an argument with his wife, he left home, drank cognac in his car, and then drove to his dacha. Police detained him for drunk driving. Later, he was arrested again for hitting a pedestrian.

Another occupier, Vladislav Urazbakhtin, said he received a work invitation to join the military: they needed cooks and laborers. He decided to become a worker, promised a salary of up to 200,000 rubles per month. They told him he would have to clear debris and help recover the dead.

Vitaliy Saldushkin said the reason he joined the war was a hernia found in his mother. She needed surgery, so he decided to sign the contract.

All three are typical “heroes” who yesterday dreamed of destroying Ukraine but have now been captured by the 82nd Brigade. Ukrainian fighters say they treat them politely as the Geneva Convention requires, but the prisoners know well who holds them. Remembering the attitude of the Russian command, the captives view their treatment in captivity more favorably.

“They just treated us like dirt. They insulted and bullied us. They could come up and hit you calmly while standing in formation. There were moments when people died right there. At the training ground, one man shot himself in front of me because he simply couldn’t handle it mentally. New recruits also arrived and didn’t hold up. One guy had a thrombosis at night, and the ambulance that came couldn’t save him. They even bring in old men who are lame and blind in one eye, but still send them to the assault,” one prisoner said.

Another Russian added that if you are ordered to go, and you don’t, they shoot you in the back.

“There are special troops that don’t let you retreat. For them, it’s like a ‘go attack’ command. When this happens, it’s betrayal for them,” Fateyev explained. “I don’t know where Russians get this fanaticism, this desire to kill. The KGB guys don’t give a damn about Russians. There are many people. They say they will bury them in corpses anyway. Russia is organized so that soldiers die anyway.”

All three surrendered and, upon capture, were given drinks and cigarettes to smokers. The occupiers say they feel a great deal of fear when recalling the war.

“I’ve never felt anything like this. So much death. When I walked, I stepped over the bodies of my own. And the smell is unforgettable for life. While we were moving through the forest plantations... corpses, corpses, corpses, corpses. All ours. All ours. No one collects them. It’s just a shock. I don’t know when I’ll get over it. You protect each of your men. And you rely on electronic and information warfare. By the way, you were the first to win the information war. Because you have many bloggers who tell Russian soldiers, prove that they shouldn’t go there to hell. I say again, I’d rather be useful to Ukraine’s mission than Russia’s. Because Russia gave me nothing.”