Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ While the Ukrainians welcome home their exchanged prisoners of war, Russian warbloggers criticise their own POWs for not having died fighting and call for them to be interrogated and/or prosecuted for surrendering. ⬇️

https://x.com/raging545/status/1926581878120759781

2/ The exchange of 1000 Ukrainian POWs for 1000 Russians has prompted some remarkably sour reflections from Russian warbloggers, who appear to consider the released Russian POWs to be little more than deserters or traitors.

3/ 'Sladkov+' acknowledges the need to publicly show the return of POWs, but says that "there is no need for pomp. Captivity is not the primary act of valour during the Special Military Operation. The wounded can be greeted like this from hospitals."

4/ "Provide prisoners with everything, but do not make them heroes. An exception for those who were captured unconscious, having fought to the end."

'Revenge of Good Will' calls for the returnees to be interrogated and prosecuted or assessed for fitness to go back to war:

5/ "Did ours return? [Yes,] ours. Heroes? Not all, but a minority. So, treatment, filtration [ie. interrogation], and then either the Military-Medical Commission or the court will decide — no-one has repealed Article 352.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation."

6/ Russia outlawed voluntary surrender in September 2022, imposing a sentence of 3 to 10 years for the act. Given the terrible conditions in Russian prisons, soldiers may have good reason to consider this a fate worse than death.

7/ 'The Clerk from Headquarters' suggests that the POWs should have committed suicide rather than letting themselves be captured:

"During the Great Patriotic War, the very fact of captivity was a disgrace not only for the captive, but for all family members."

8/ “And those who were able to return from captivity had to prove it with blood, and in 90% [of cases] they ended up in penal battalions (of course, there were big excesses).

There is also a logical explanation why it is impossible to surrender voluntarily.

9/ "Firstly, a soldier is a source of information, which will 100% BE ALL PULLED OUT. This means that one prisoner will put many people at risk. Secondly, a prisoner will most likely be tortured, cruelly."

10/ "Thirdly, after captivity (if you survive, of course), he is a broken person. Therefore, keep one grenade for yourself ..."

In the same vein, 'Auror Diary' explains why Russian soldiers have a responsibility to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner:

11/ "It is not customary for us to surrender under any circumstances.

Firstly, you will be tortured and killed, secondly, you will become a tool in the hands of the enemy, and under torture you will leak everything you don’t need.

12/ "If you realize that the assault has not gone in our favor, and you will remain wounded, running out of limited ammunition, you make the only correct exit from the situation, so as not to expose yourself or your brothers in arms.

13/ "You choose the path of a warrior. This is everyone’s business, and their choice." /end

Sources:
🔹t.me/Sladkov_plus/1…
🔹t.me/Mestb_Dobroj_V…
🔹t.me/iamsniper/7351