Ukrainian journalist: thousands of Russian mercenaries are held in prisons in separatist republics
Thousands of people are currently in prisons in the separatist republics. The majority of these prisoners are separatist fighters or civilians or the civilians. Journalist Denis Kazansky provides this this statistics citing a Russian national, Anastasia Mikhailovskaya, who identifies herself as a human rights activist and representative of the late Doctor Liza, the renowned Russian humanitarian worker and charity activist.
Mikhailovskaya recently raised the issue about the real number of prisoners being held in separatists’ cells in the Luhansk People’s Republic. According to her, there are a lot of Russian citizens among the prisoners, including those who came to fight in the Donbas. There are also a number of civilians who were captured for unknown reasons and whom very few people know about.
As a self-styled representative of Doctor Liza, Mikhailovskaya claims that separatists treat these prisoners worse than Ukrainians. Russian blogger Mikhail Polynkov, who is also a volunteer of Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics from the compound of former Minister of Defense Igor Strelkov, confirmed Mikhailovskaya’s information.
According to Polynkov, there is a a tendency to physically eliminate volunteers in the Donbas. Many came to protect the “Russian world” there but were incarcerated instead. Polynkov says that the separatists don’t charge the prisoners with any crimes, nor do they give them access to lawyers.
“I don’t know about you, but I have an impression that everything that is recently happening with Russian volunteers in the Donbas is revenge for their coming to help those who achieved success in the fight against Kyiv authorities. It is revenge against those whom Strelkov prevented from making agreements with Kyiv once their acquired fortunes in a new Ukraine became legitimized. It’s revenge against those who ran away from the war and then returned to positions of authority. These people have their own revenge: against cowards who caused so much fear. Can you imagine what conditions our guys are being held in, in Luhansk and Donetsk detention centers? Personally, I feel that these conditions are no better than the detention centers of the Kyiv junta,” Polynkov said.
Polynkov is a notable fan of Novorossiya (New Russia) and the latest release of his popular program Soldatskaya Pravda or Soldiers’ Truth has provoked lively debate on the Internet. Separatist supporters are shocked by the truth about war in the Donbas waged by Russian mercenaries.