Russian POWs face harsh fates upon returning home
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war 63 times so far. Returning Russians often face a different fate instead of the end of fighting, laying down their arms, and terminating their contracts with the Ministry of Defence. They are held in a closed facility near Moscow, interrogated by the FSB, and sent back to the front lines or to penal colonies.
What do you need to know?
- Roman Ivanishyn, a junior sergeant, was sentenced by a military court in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to 15 years in a penal colony for voluntarily surrendering to Ukrainian forces. This verdict is the first of its kind in Russia since new criminal regulations on desertion and surrender were introduced.
- This is not an isolated case. Returning Russians face difficulties. Sometimes they end up in the Mosrientgien camp near Moscow.
- Some return to the front. Russia does not have a unit that provides transparent data on the statistics of war participants and their fates.
Why was Roman Ivanishyn sentenced?
Roman Ivanishyn, a miner from the Sakhalin region, was mobilized into the army and fought in Ukraine within the ranks of the 39th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade. In June 2023, he was captured by Ukrainian forces near Volnovakha. In a video released by Ukrainians, Ivanishyn expressed opposition to the war and appealed to other Russian soldiers to leave their units.
How did the court proceedings go?
Upon returning to Russia in January 2024, Ivanishyn was under investigation. Initially, the court in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk refused to consider the case, transferring the files to Moscow, which were then returned to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The trial began on March 17, 2025, behind closed doors. The prosecution demanded 16 years in prison, while the defence sought acquittal, highlighting Ivanishyn's health issues.
What does this verdict mean for other soldiers?
The sentencing of Ivanishyn is the first of its kind in Russia since new criminal regulations were introduced in 2022. Vladimir Putin signed an amendment to the criminal code at that time, which provides for up to 10 years in prison for desertion and surrender. This verdict could set a precedent for other similar cases.
What are the fates of participants in the war in Ukraine?
According to belsat.eu, troubles befall not only those soldiers who no longer wish to fight. Those who were captured and returned to the country as part of an exchange also face issues. Returning from the front to their homeland, they are first transported to a military unit in the village of Mosrientgien near Moscow—unit 61899, a facility with specific operating rules, which they are not allowed to leave. Former prisoners are interrogated by counterintelligence officers.
In Russia, being a prisoner of war does not count towards service time. It is also not a reason to transition to civilian life. After two to three weeks of interrogations, when FSB officers are sure that the Ukrainians didn't recruit the captured Russians, soldiers return to the military units they were previously assigned to, if those units are still operating on the front. Commanders decide whether to give them a short-term leave, no longer than two weeks. Few have the opportunity to return home.
Source: belsat.eu, tvn24.pl
