Only 15 former prisoners of war lived relatively longer, while 71 died within a year, and the rest within two years. Most perished in “meat grinder” assaults, with some killed by their own comrades.
Relatives of the soldiers told Verstka that, regardless of rank, position, or service time, former captives are almost immediately redeployed to the front lines. Some are denied leave or time at home. Relatives claimed these soldiers are placed under “special supervision” and then “put to use” in assaults.
The Ukrainian project I Want to Live stated that Russian officers view captivity as “betrayal through surrender.”
“To avoid becoming victims of this cannibalistic system, Russian soldiers have a chance to surrender again after captivity—safely and without risking their lives—through the I Want to Live project,” the project’s statement reads.
“Appeals to Russian state institutions are unlikely to be as effective as contacting our hotline.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously announced that several more prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia are planned, as part of agreements reached during a second meeting of their delegations in Istanbul.
On July 4, Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange, bringing home Ukrainian defenders, most of whom had been held since 2022.
Exchanges also occurred on June 9, 10, 12, 14, 19, 20, and 26, returning seriously ill, injured, young, and missing Ukrainian soldiers.
Between June 11 and 16, Russia handed over approximately 6,057 bodies of fallen Ukrainian defenders, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters.