Alexander Belyakov, a militant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), who was captured by Russian troops near Dimitrov (Ukrainian: Mirnograd), described on December 16 how he and his colleagues hid from the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation after their positions were destroyed, disguising themselves in civilian clothing.
“When there was thick fog, we immediately went to a safe place in Mirnograd as soon as possible,” Belyakov said. “We took off our uniforms, searched through apartments over the destroyed ones, and found civilian clothes there. We put everything—backpacks, weapons—into one pile before going down to the basement.”
Belyakov stated he was mobilized by Ukraine’s territorial recruitment center (TCC) in early 2024 and transferred to the 38th separate brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after two weeks of service near Krasnoarmeysk. He confirmed his unit’s position was completely destroyed.
“It’s scary because everything explodes, birds fly, mortars shoot,” he added. “It was impossible to be there.”
The soldier spoke extremely critically about his brigade’s command, describing how it “threw their soldiers to the meat.” Belyakov reported that his group was discovered by Russian forces in the basement and noted Ukrainian troops frequently surrender in groups.
“The boys give up in packs,” he said. “They try not to walk alone—they huddle together and surrender at the first opportunity.”
