{
  "id": 16936718,
  "title": "Reporter's notebook: Visiting a POW camp is the best possible antidote to sympathy for Russian soldiers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/reporters-notebook-visiting-a-pow-camp-is-the-best-possible-antidote",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T17:57:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Independent",
    "slug": "kyiv-independent",
    "url": "https://kyivindependent.com/reporters-notebook-visiting-a-pow-camp-is-the-best-possible-antidote-to-sympathy-for-russian-soldiers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As we adjusted to the bright white walls, we spotted rows of men dressed in blue, clinging to the walls of this strange place. This was a scorching June day in western Ukraine, where we had just been released into a courtyard filled with Russian prisoners of war. It was up to us whether to approach and speak with them, and what we wanted to discuss.\n\nStanding face to face with these captives, the living embodiment of the suffering and death that had befallen our homes and families, was a strange and unusual experience. It was my goal to see their human side, to have a civil conversation with them. This was not exclusive access, but rather a monthly arrangement organized by Ukrainian authorities for the press.\n\nMy motivation was not just to witness the shock and awe of seeing Russian POWs, but to understand why they were there, fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Four months later, the question of whether to show sympathy for these invaders remained a popular topic. As the war entered its fifth year, Putin continued his offensive, and Russia's offensives continued with hundreds of Russian soldiers being killed or wounded every day.\n\nTo understand this flow of soldiers, I spoke with four Russian prisoners of war. The first, Pavel Malikov, an Altai Krai factory worker who had joined the Spetsnaz, Moscow's feared special forces. He had signed the contract because he felt stuck, with no good or bad options. While war is bad, he understood the reasons behind his decision.",
  "summary": "Once our eyes adjusted to the aggressive glare of the freshly painted white walls around the yard, we began to make out figures, dozens of them dressed in navy blue, clinging to the inner walls of this surreal space. It was a scorching June day in western Ukraine, and we had just been released, like kids in a petting zoo, into a courtyard full of prisoners of war from the Russian military. Who we…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}