https://sputnikglobe.com/20260119/many-ukrainian-fighters-die-before-evacuation-can-reach-them---prisoner-1123487386.html
Doomed: Ukrainian Troops Left to Die As Evacuations Fail, POW Reveals
Doomed: Ukrainian Troops Left to Die As Evacuations Fail, POW Reveals
Sputnik International
Ukrainian troops struggle to evacuate the wounded in time, leaving many of them to die without aid, Ukrainian prisoner of war Alexander Sotnikov said on Monday.
2026-01-19T10:21+0000
2026-01-19T10:21+0000
2026-01-19T13:44+0000
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"There is a major problem with the evacuation of the injured. If a soldier cannot make it to where a tow truck can reach, he is basically doomed. They evacuate the [injured], but only if they are at a designated spot," Sotnikov said in a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry. The POW recalled seeing many dead during a five-day march to positions in Dimitrov. One soldier appeared to be sitting leaning against a tree, making Sotnikov and a comrade of his think he was alive, but he was not. The man had been wounded, tried to get to an evacuation point, but died on the way there, the prisoner said. Sotnikov said that his four-man unit had entered Dimitrov, where two of the group were immediately hit by mortar fire. He and the other surviving soldier trudged through several streets, and entered a house taken by Russian troops, and decided to surrender. He further detailed severe supply shortages within the Ukrainian armed forces, citing scarce water and infrequent drone-dropped deliveries that consisted solely of "snack items."Sotnikov said that he was forcibly mobilized despite having no prior military service and in possession of a deferment. He heard rumors that enlistment office staff could be bribed for $15,000 -16,000 to release people, but with no guarantees. As he put it "you walk out the door, and others immediately grab you to bring you to another draft office."
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Doomed: Ukrainian Troops Left to Die As Evacuations Fail, POW Reveals
10:21 GMT 19.01.2026 (Updated: 13:44 GMT 19.01.2026) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian troops have been struggling to evacuate their wounded in time, leaving many of them to die without aid, Ukrainian prisoner of war Alexander Sotnikov said on Monday.
"There is a major problem with the evacuation of the injured. If a soldier cannot make it to where a tow truck can reach, he is basically doomed. They evacuate the [injured], but only if they are at a designated spot," Sotnikov said in a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The POW recalled seeing many dead during a five-day march to positions in Dimitrov. One soldier appeared to be sitting leaning against a tree, making Sotnikov and a comrade of his think he was alive, but he was not. The man had been wounded, tried to get to an evacuation point, but died on the way there, the prisoner said.
Sotnikov said that his four-man unit had entered Dimitrov, where two of the group were immediately hit by mortar fire. He and the other surviving soldier trudged through several streets, and entered a house taken by Russian troops, and decided to surrender.
He further detailed severe supply shortages within the Ukrainian armed forces, citing scarce water and infrequent drone-dropped deliveries that consisted solely of "snack items."
Sotnikov said that he was forcibly mobilized despite having no prior military service and in possession of a deferment. He heard rumors that enlistment office staff could be bribed for $15,000 -16,000 to release people, but with no guarantees. As he put it "you walk out the door, and others immediately grab you to bring you to another draft office."
