"So that you understand the positions in Kleshcheevka: Kleshcheevka is gone, there is no village there, a couple of basements remain. We were sitting in these basements, and both sides knew about these basements. We were simply sent to the slaughter. The guy who was seeing us off said: 'This, guys, is a one-way trip, you'd better refuse,'" the captive said.
According to Kurishko, if he had known where he was being sent, he would have refused. The soldier was captured in extremely serious condition and survived only thanks to Russian doctors who performed a complex, multi-hour operation.
Kurishko, born in 1976, served in an anti-tank platoon and was captured in Kleshcheevka in the Donetsk region. However, due to a shortage of fighters he was periodically assigned to the infantry, and he went out to positions. He was wounded during the assault by Russian forces on his position.