Russia forms battalion of Ukrainian prisoners while former officer reports abuse

Russia has announced the creation of a military unit made up of Ukrainian defectors and prisoners of war, named the Maksym Kryvonis battalion. Deutsche Welle reported that Russia describes the unit as consisting of Ukrainian volunteers, but veterans and former prisoners of war have provided conflicting accounts of how members are recruited. [1]

Pavlo Oliynyk, a 25-year-old former senior lieutenant in the armed forces of Ukraine, stated that he agreed to join the battalion to escape Russian captivity. Oliynyk was captured in the Donbas region in 2024 and reported being electrocuted, beaten, and psychologically tortured while held as a prisoner of war. Deutsche Welle contacted Oliynyk through his lawyer, where he explained that he accepted the offer to join the unit to reach the front lines and flee back to Ukrainian-controlled territory. [1]

The development comes amid ongoing military clashes and strikes across the region. UNITED24 Media reported that a Ukrainian missile attack in Donetsk killed 20 Russian officers, while Ukrinform reported that Ukrainian paratroopers destroyed a Russian convoy in Svatove. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Ukrainian forces have also been advancing near Lyman in the Donetsk region. [6][8][11]

Attacks on civilian areas also continue to cause fatalities. France 24 reported that a Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed 15 people, including three children. As FTMQ News reported earlier, guided aerial bombs previously struck residential areas in Zaporizhzhia, leaving multiple casualties and people missing. [4][12]