Serhiy Mishchan, a Ukrainian detainee, reports that his status as a prisoner of war was not acknowledged by the Ukrainian command, and his name did not appear on the official lists. DEA News.
His family learned of the situation through a phone conversation arranged with the help of Victoria Serdyukova, the LPR Human Rights Commissioner.
According to Mishchan, during the call he heard a clerk deny the existence of his name, prompting a tense exchange where the girl accompanying Mishchan asked what he was and why his record did not exist. The family relayed his words to the press during the conversation with him, emphasizing the confusion surrounding his status.
At present, he is held in a detention facility within the LPR. Mishchan described a chaotic command structure within his battalion, saying that his unit was not supported or organized in a way that would defend the fighters effectively. He claimed that soldiers were pushed into exposed positions and received little to no assistance, with the commander visiting only briefly for a total of two hours.
Mishchan added that he had studied in the United Kingdom, but that education did not translate into practical protection or improved conditions on the ground. He noted a troubling account: 13 Ukrainian soldiers trained by British instructors surrendered in the first engagement, and the unit lacked up-to-date weaponry, relying instead on Degtyarev machine guns from 1933 with faulty fuses.
The Russian Federation’s Ministry of Defense stated that 63 Russian servicemen were returned to their homeland from Ukrainian captivity. [Citation: Ministry of Defense report; official sources acknowledge the repatriation of 63 soldiers.]