'Prison or war': Ukraine captures Kazakh citizen coerced into fighting by Russia
global.espreso.tv
Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:46:00 +0200

The 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo reported the information.Nursultan was working in Moscow when police detained him one day and planted "a packet with a white substance" on him. They threatened him with a 15-year sentence for alleged drug possession and offered him an alternative — sign a contract and go to the front."Either 15 years in prison or war," he says. Out of fear of going to jail, he agreed to sign the contract, even though he understood that participating in combat was not his path.Initially, he fought in the Kherson region, then was transferred to Chasiv Yar. During one mission, he was left on the front line without support, and together with a comrade, he decided to surrender to save their lives.The Kazakh citizen described the horrific conditions at the front: lack of water and food, constant shelling, living in basements and trenches. "In the last week, we had no water. I wanted to drink even my own urine," he notes. He adds that this was an extreme survival measure, and that people on the front lines are under constant stress and danger.The Kazakh citizen emphasizes that he was motivated not by a desire to fight, but by fear of prison in Russia. "I understood this wasn't for me. I had nothing to do with this, but I was afraid of prison. That's why I agreed to go to war," he says.Fighters with the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade captured a Russian soldier near Lyman, who described the brutal conditions in their army.









