Russian conscript shares ordeal after unexpected frontline abandonment
- Mom, everything is fine with me, I'm in captivity - says one of the Russian conscripts, who was captured in the Kursk region, in the recording. The family recognized 20-year-old Anton Spiridonov, who revealed details of Ukraine's attack on Russia.
The recording of the man was published on Ukrainian Telegram channels. It shows the 20-year-old conscript soldier Anton Spiridonov, who was called to the Kursk region from the village of Kurgan, where he lived.
Commanders abandoned the conscripts
The man has his eyes covered. - Mom, I'm okay, I'm in captivity. The commanders left us completely unexpectedly, there were no radars, no communication, no nothing - says the soldier.
The 20-year-old adds that from the platoon of conscripts "only five are left". - All our commanders disappeared somewhere, I didn't expect this from them - adds Anton.
They promised not to take him anywhere
Relatives recognized the man. The "Możem Objasnit" channel contacted the family of the 20-year-old. - They were stationed at the border - said the captured conscript's sister Jekaterina. - Their commanders just left and abandoned them without communication, help, or weapons. The same thing was told to me by a friend who serves in the Northern Military District - she added.
According to her, Anton himself was calm about the risk of being sent to the front. - He said: "If they send me, they send me, I will serve, I will defend my Russia". I didn't even want him to be taken to the army. He didn't think he would find himself at the front. They told him he would just serve in the army, that they wouldn't take him anywhere, neither to the border nor to the front - says his sister.
Anton joined the army at the end of October and was first sent to Yekaterinburg, and then to Elani. - And already from Elani, they were taken somewhere to the border. When Anton called, he said that here you can see Ukraine from the other side of the field. And then they took him to Kursk. He said: "everything is fine with us". On August 5, he wrote that the evacuation of civilians was underway. After these words, he didn't contact us or go on social media - says the woman.
- We started to panic, we went to the registration and conscription office in Mishkino, wrote a statement - continues Jekaterina. - We were told that Anton is in Kursk, in a training centre, and on August 15, they sent us a video recording showing him with his eyes covered and a photo without the blindfold.
According to "The Washington Post," about 250 conscripts are in captivity. However, neither the Russian Ministry of National Defence nor the television channels provide information on their condition.
