Kiev’s practice to “re-educate” prisoners-of-war has a reverse effect, said Lugansk People’s Republic militiaman Maxim who had returned from Ukrainian captivity.
“They keep trying to re-educate, brainwash and reform you,” Maxim said. “They even have the so-called repatriation office which allegedly handles our comeback to the Ukrainian family. They designed a whole program for it.”
They use visual propaganda and classes in the education system with church chants and marching drills. POWs must go to Greek Catholic Church on Sundays even if they feel unwell after tortures.
“This didn’t influence us at all, on the contrary, it made us angrier,” the militiaman said.
Over 150 LPR servicemen have returned from Ukrainian captivity since the beginning of the special military operation in February. The LPR ombudsperson said that more than 100 of them had been physically abused.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance. The LPR militia and Russian armed forces fully liberated the LPR territory from Ukrainian armed formations on July 3.
The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. The peace talks that began soon thereafter failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.
The Lugansk People’s Republic became a part of Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum.*i*v
