The video from the interrogation of a Russian soldier was released by the "Azov" brigade.
The soldier, who identified himself as Vasily Yatargin, stated that he belongs to the Eskimo national minority. He provided a brief history of his relatives, mentioning that he was born in the village of Uelkal in the Magadan region of Russia.
“The Eskimos descended from the Aleuts. The Aleuts once lived in Greenland. They then started moving from Greenland and reached Chukotka,” said the captive.
According to him, there are about 1,500 Eskimos left in Russia. He also elaborated on the disdain that Russians have towards indigenous peoples, noting that they are regarded with hostility and considered illiterate.
The captive explained that he volunteered for the war on a contract basis because two of his nephews were previously mobilized: one was killed, and the other went missing.
“I have nothing against the Ukrainian people. I am just here, how should I say, to liberate from fascism…” he stated.
Initially, he held the position of operator-gunner of a BMP in the Russian army. On October 6, 2024, he was transferred to the infantry and the very next day sent to New York, located in the Donetsk region. There, he was supposed to reach the positions on foot with other Russian soldiers, but he claims they abandoned him, leaving him alone.
Later, the infantry was supposed to take him to their position, but while en route they came under fire, and once again he was left behind by his comrades. Additionally, he and a few soldiers got stuck in the BMP because the door jammed. This is how he ended up in Ukrainian captivity.
He mentioned that the Ukrainian military provided them with first aid and treated them humanely, which surprised the Russian soldiers as they expected to be “immediately cut down.”
“They treated us humanely, didn’t shout, didn’t hit, didn’t touch us. They just provided assistance. I was also surprised that they treated us as if we were their own, calmly,” said the prisoner of war.
In "Azov," it was added that Russia continues to throw more and more people into endless “meat” assaults, actively encouraging and motivating its population to kill Ukrainians.