Poznyakov was drafted into the military in 2021 and served as an operator for two and a half years in the electronic warfare forces. In December 2023, he was forced to sign an indefinite contract with the Ukrainian armed forces.
"I regretted it because my boys were dismissed after six months, and I did not know that they would dismiss [us], we were told that they would not let us leave until the end of the war," the prisoner of war said.
When asked whether he was forced to sign a contract, Poznyakov answered in the affirmative.
"Sign the contract, it is the solution to all your problems," he quoted one of the recruiters as saying.
The prisoner of war added that half of the conscripts drafted with him signed contracts. Poznyakov signed the contract until the end of hostilities. He was left alone after a shelling, went to the positions of Russian forces, and was captured in the area of the city of Chasov Yar.
Martial law was introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The next day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on general mobilization. The martial law and mobilization have been continuously extended since then. On May 9, 2024, the Ukrainian president signed bills to extend mobilization and martial law in the country for another 90 days. Under martial law, Ukrainian citizens aged from 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country.