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Russia Forces Former POWs Back to the Front in Ukraine Despite Geneva Ban
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia’s military command has been redeploying soldiers who were previously held as prisoners of war in Ukraine back to the front lines, Russian outlet Echo reported on October 6.
The publication released a video appeal by Russian serviceman Vitalii Soldatenko from the Ryazan region, dated August 26.
According to Echo, Soldatenko had contacted the office of Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, saying that on August 23, he was transferred to the Kursk region shortly after returning from captivity in Ukraine.
In the video, the soldier explains that he was sent “to a training ground in Kursk” before completing his medical treatment. “The command promised to send me to a Kursk hospital upon arrival, but my request was ignored,” he said.
“For three days, they drove us on the firing range to practice shooting. And now, on the 26th, they’re sending us on a combat mission.”
Soldatenko asked officials to intervene and investigate his case.
Echo noted that this was not an isolated incident. Russian commanders had already redeployed former POWs to combat zones.
For example, in the summer, a soldier named Ivan Grebennikov from the Altai region—who was exchanged in May 2025—was reportedly reclassified from “unfit” to “fit for service” and sent to the front. “They send you to the front without any medical commission or examination. I still have a bullet in my body, my arm is broken,” Grebennikov said.
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Similarly, two mobilized men from the Pskov region, Vasiliy Grigoriev and Dmitry Davydov, were sent back to fight after being exchanged in January 2024. The two later fled and sought help from military lawyer Maksim Grebenyuk. Davydov reportedly died at a military base near Moscow in August from what the authorities described as “sudden cardiac arrest.”
Military lawyers say that redeploying repatriated prisoners violates the 1949 Geneva Convention, Article 117, which prohibits compelling former POWs to return to combat.
Earlier, Putin signed a decree for the 2025 autumn military draft, running from October 1 to December 31. The call-up targets 135,000 Russian citizens aged 18 to 30.
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