Young Soldier Bursts into Tears After Calling Parents... Ukraine Reveals Russian Prisoners of War

Russian Prisoners Claim "Thought It Was Training"
Ukrainian Forces Say "Poorly Armed, Some Very Young"
Surrounded by Civilians, Some Lost Morale and Sat Down

A young Russian soldier talking to his parents on a mobile phone received from a Ukrainian civilian / Photo by Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The Ukrainian government has revealed prisoners captured during clashes with Russian forces. They all appeared confused, saying, "We didn't know this was Ukraine," and "We thought it was a training exercise." One young soldier broke into tears when Ukrainian citizens allowed him to call his parents on a mobile phone.

According to the U.S. broadcaster CNN, on the 27th (local time), the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released videos of Russian prisoners of war captured by government forces on social media platforms such as Twitter.

In the short videos lasting several tens of seconds, the captured individuals, with faces stained by fatigue, claim, "We didn't know this was Ukraine," and "We thought it was a military training."

A video was also released showing a young soldier, presumed to be a conscript, who lost his will to fight and sat down after being surrounded by Ukrainian citizens. After receiving a mobile phone from a citizen, he made a call to his parents and shed tears.

Russian prisoners of war released by the Ukrainian government through social networking services (SNS) / Photo by Twitter capture

The Ukrainian military, which released the videos, stated, "There are even 19-year-old young men in the Russian forces who have received no training at all," adding, "Their armament is also poor. When we allowed them to call their parents in Russia, even the parents were surprised."

Meanwhile, according to CNN, the number of Russian casualties since the invasion of Ukraine is estimated to be about 800. However, since the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense does not separately count Russian deaths and injuries, it is unclear whether this figure represents all fatalities.

In response by the Ukrainian government forces, about 30 Russian tanks have been destroyed, and 7 aircraft and 6 helicopters have been shot down by air defense systems. An Ilyushin 76 (Il 76) military transport plane carrying about 100 airborne troops was also shot down.

Meanwhile, Western countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (EU) announced strong economic sanctions against Russia. On the 26th, Western countries declared in a joint statement that they would exclude Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment network. They also decided to freeze the international asset reserves of the Russian central bank.

On the 26th (local time), volunteers are inspecting weapons in Kyiv, Ukraine. / Photo by Yonhap News

They condemned Russia, saying, "We denounce Russia for choosing war and attacking Ukraine's sovereignty," and added, "Russia's acts of war are a fundamental attack on international law that has continued since World War II."

They continued, "As Russian forces attack the Ukrainian capital and other cities, we have decided to isolate Russia from international finance," and explained, "These measures will be implemented soon."

SWIFT is a computer network used by about 11,000 financial institutions worldwide. These institutions make payments by sending and receiving 'payment messages' through SWIFT. If Russian banks can no longer access this system, they may face difficulties in conducting transactions with other companies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.