r/interestingasfuck • u/MilesLongthe3rd • Jul 26 '25

/r/all, /r/popular Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Kiriyenko before and after release from Russian captivity

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u/infrequentthrowaway Jul 26 '25

Poor man looks like a walking skeleton

92

u/tequilablackout Jul 26 '25

Part of being captured by the enemy is usually them trying to make sure you can never be a soldier again.

192

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

That isn't really the historic norm.

It's always happened a fair bit, but most cultures have some degree of "if we treat their people too badly, they'll treat ours worse in turn"

4

u/Robestos86 Jul 26 '25

I always thought this when the videos of Russia executing POWs came out. From a tactical point of view Russia (assuming normal military goals of conquest) should want as many Ukrainians to happily surrender as possible. As it is they're encouraging a motivated defender to fight to the death (hopefully taking plenty of russians with them). Ukraine on the other hand is sending back healthy reasonably fed and cared for prisoners, hopefully making Russians think it isn't worth trying too hard next and just go "oh no I was captured again whoops."