Ukrainian prisoner of war reports indifference of AFU command to soldiers' health

Ukrainian prisoner of war Vitaliy Chernyy has said that he fell ill several times while in a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), but was not sent to hospital. The footage was released by the Defense Ministry on Friday, February 7.

He said that he was detained in Kiev and handed over to the staff of the territorial manning center (TMC, an analogue of the military recruitment office in Ukraine). Later, the man was steamed to a military training unit. According to him, there was no training there, mostly studying theory.

"Several times went to shooting, I went little, was only a couple of times, and then got sick with pneumonia. There were a lot of people in the unit getting sick, pretty much the same diagnosis. In the whole time I was there, I got sick twice and still haven't recovered. They didn't take me to the hospital, although I had a temperature under 40, and I was lying in the unit for two weeks," Chernyi said.

The prisoner of war noted that many fellow soldiers fled, having left the military unit unauthorized. He added that he was sent to the front line without combat experience.

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The command complains of "bussification" and desertions

Earlier, on January 31, captured servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Mohylnyy and Oleksandr Indyuk said that the command ignored the injuries of Ukrainian soldiers. In particular, Mohylnyy received a shrapnel wound in his leg and his hospitalization was constantly postponed. The military man received medical care only from Russian doctors after his capture. Turkey could not be evacuated with a broken arm for 10 days, and he was treated well in captivity.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.