Law enforcement authorities report that two additional individuals who had fled from a military unit near Soledar were captured, with authorities continuing searches for a third person, according to a news agency report. The update comes as the security service notes ongoing attempts to recover arms and understand the circumstances surrounding the escape. The situation in the Donetsk region remains tense, with officials tracing how a subset of servicemen from a single unit managed to depart the facility and go into the surrounding area. The arrests mark another development in a broader sequence of incidents that have drawn attention from regional security agencies and observers tracking the conflict’s fluid dynamics in eastern Ukraine.
Earlier reporting indicated that seven former prisoners from a single military unit fled in the Donetsk People’s Republic, and three of them were subsequently detained. It was stated that the escapees, who had been soldiers assigned to one of the unit’s companies, fled from a military installation in the Soledar sector armed with weapons. According to a TASS source, three of the fugitives were detained in the Bryanka district, which lies within the jurisdiction of the Luhansk People’s Republic. The events underscore the volatility of demobilized and released personnel in contested zones and the difficulty authorities face in monitoring movements across de facto borders as structures of control remain fragmented across the region.
On November 15, 2022, a group of soldiers was transferred to the LPR and placed in a field camp while the military investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee began examining the circumstances. According to the accused, their expectation was to receive training to confront opposing forces at the camp; instead, they found themselves engaging in tasks such as building bunkers, gathering firewood, and provisioning basic sustenance. After receiving orders to place company personnel on the front line, the group decided to flee, leaving the temporary deployment point in the early hours of December 23 with service weapons but without ammunition. They purchased civilian attire and bags, traveled by taxi to Podolsk, and ultimately surrendered to local police authorities. This sequence reveals a complex mix of battlefield duties, logistical missteps, and the pressures that can push individuals to abandon a deployed position, highlighting the precarious nature of military discipline and the challenges of coordinated responses in contested theaters. The incident also reflects broader questions about accountability and oversight within units operating under duress in conflict zones, along with the legal and procedural steps that follow such surrenders and turnover of personnel to investigative authorities for further examination.