A Captive's Transformation
A fighter from the Bohdan Khmelnytsky Presidential Brigade, known by the call sign Lys (Fox), has recounted the remarkable story of a Russian prisoner of war. After spending just 14 days with Ukrainian troops, the captive started communicating in Ukrainian, offered to help, and expressed a strong desire to obtain Ukrainian citizenship. The account was shared on the brigade's official YouTube channel.
According to Vitaliy (Lys), the Russian soldier became disoriented during combat and stumbled upon a Ukrainian position. 'He approached us from the side. We had to calm him down a bit so he wouldn't expose our location,' the soldier explained. The captive was then given a stark choice: die or surrender. 'I grabbed his rifle and pulled him toward me. He fell, raised his hands, and shouted: I'm one of you! I'm one of you!' Vitaliy recalled.
Interaction with the Prisoner
For two weeks, the prisoner stayed with the Ukrainian soldiers, who shared their own rations with him. 'The troops fed him whatever they were eating themselves. He really liked the borscht that volunteers brought,' Lys noted. By the second week, the captive had started speaking Ukrainian:
'By the second week, he was saying: Guys, can I have some borscht with onions? And right before we left, he asked: Guys, can I make you some tea or coffee? It was just surreal to hear him speaking our language. Maybe he just wanted to survive, or maybe it was something else.'
Vitaliy
When the unit prepared to withdraw from their positions, the prisoner refused to return to Russian forces. 'I told him: Your guys are over there, we're leaving. But he turned around and said: Guys, I'll do anything for you. I'll stay with you completely. Just don't send me back there—they'll shoot me,' Lys recounted. After being evacuated to a safer location, the captive asked to remain in Ukraine and apply for citizenship:
'He sat there and asked: Can I get citizenship with you? Can I stay here?'
Vitaliy
The Russian serviceman, identified as Artem Mubarakshin, was captured with a burned face and was recognized by his tattoos. He was later exchanged and returned to the Russian Federation. In a separate incident, another captured Russian soldier named Ilya surprised his mother during a phone call by noting her lack of emotion. He also recounted how he got lost and ended up on the front lines despite working as an electrician, a detail that drew laughter from those listening.
This story highlights the complexity of human relationships in the context of war, where even in a hostile environment, moments of compassion and a desire to change one's fate can emerge. It also illustrates how conflict can reshape people's perspectives and attitudes toward other nations. Cases like that of Artem Mubarakshin challenge traditional notions of the enemy and demonstrate that unexpected connections and a desire for integration into another culture can arise even amid war.
This transformation of a captured soldier highlights the complex realities of war, much like the case of another captured fighter who faced dire challenges. To explore similar experiences of prisoners and their struggles, read about an Uzbek fighter who revealed his inability to read or write during captivity. Discover his story to gain further insight into the personal narratives that emerge from conflict.