Russia denies that the soldier captured by Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas is enlisted in Russian army
The Russian Ministry of Defense denies that the Russian Viktor Ageyev, who was taken prisoner in the Luhansk region, is currently enlisted.
“Viktor Ageyev never served in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under contract. According to the records of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ageyev served in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, after which, in May 2016, he resigned in accordance with established procedure to the reserve. Information regarding the alleged subsequent entry by Victor Ageyev into military service under contract with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a fiction of Ukrainian propagandists," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
Earlier, BBC reported that Viktor Ageyev is a military contractor of the Russian Armed Forces. Viktor Ageyev's mother, friends and former colleagues confirmed that, after his military service, he remained in the Russian army under a contract that he signed in March 2017. Victor Ageyev himself said on his page on the social network VKontakte on April 1 that he had entered the contract service.
On June 24, near the town of Zholobok in the Luhansk region, Ukrainian Armed forces killed two and captured four Special Forces operatives from LPR (Luhansk People’e Republic). Among the dead was the commander of the Special Forces unit, Russian officer Aleksander Shcherbak; Ageyev was among the captured fighters.
Two years ago, Russia acted similarly after Russian commandos Aleksander Alexandrov and Evgeny Erofeev were captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After a year, they were exchanged for Nadezhda Savchenko.