Kremlin-affiliated russian media quote a Duma illegitimate parliament member, Viktor Volodatsky, as saying there are military units formed of captive Ukrainian soldiers for further deployment in the Ukraine war zone. He also shared a fake claim — already debunked — that Ukrainian military leadership forces all the compatriots who were released from russian captivity to undergo a loyalty check and back into the army ranks.
Both statements bear signs of a disinformation campaign against Ukraine, but also may point to a serious violation of the international law of war, so filtering facts from manipulations here is paramount. Defense Express has consulted with a source in the Ukrainian intelligence services to clarify the situation.
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Firstly, it's important to emphasize that Articles 129 and 130 of the Third Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War denounce "compelling a prisoner of war to serve in the forces of the hostile Power" as a grave breach of the said convention — alongside wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, incl. biological experiments, and others.
The mentioned statements by a russian official are in themselves a violation of this foundational document of international law. Mindful of that, Defense Express calls upon the global community to give a harsh and substantive response to russia's actions.
The intelligence has recorded instances of some Ukrainian POWs being coerced into service in the russian armed forces using violence or threatening to harm their relatives. However, those methods are not as effective as the russian propaganda is trying to portray.
The Kremlin is systematic in its effort to create an impression that Ukrainian captives are "willing to join the ranks of the russian army and fight against Ukraine." Illustrating this persistence are other disinformation episodes like the narratives about so-called "Khmelnytsky battalion," "Kryvonos battalion," or "Pushkar battalion" in the russian forces — all named after Ukrainian historical personalities and allegedly consisting of Ukrainian servicemen.
No evidence has been found that could confirm the existence of such formations or their involvement in combat on the Ukrainian war front, the source affirms.
"The number of known collaborators willing to defect to the enemy and engage in hostilities never exceeded a few dozen persons. Therefore, such messages [on the deployment of the mentioned battalions – ed.] are by definition fantasies of Kremlin's PR-managers," they told Defense Express.
One more important detail: after returning to Ukraine, all the prisoners of war, without exception, undergo rehabilitation and receive necessary treatment. Afterwards, they have the right to choose whether they want to retire or continue military service.
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