“Treated Us Worse Than Pigs”: Azerbaijani POW on Serving in the Russian Army

Azer Arzuman Akhmedov, callsign “Azik,” is an Azerbaijani national who signed a contract with the Russian army after being threatened for his criminal past. After being captured by the Ukrainian Forces, he is now pleading with the Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, to be brought back home.

“I realized I made a mistake. They treated us badly, I’d say—worse than pigs,” Azer described his experience with the Russian army.

The story Azer told the Ukrainian Forces is the following: Azer’s family was threatened with demands for 150,000-200,000 rubles ($1900-$2500) per month due to his criminal past. Upon contacting the police, they allegedly advised him to sign a contract with the Russian army and “stay safe.”

Azer describes the poor treatment and food, as well as extortion: 200,000 rubles ($2500) for a bulletproof vest, 20,000 rubles ($250) for a radio.

“They didn’t give us anything. Well, they gave us porridge, though it was unclear what kind of porridge. […] We had to buy food with our own money,” he said.

Azer says he didn’t want to fight or shoot. During one Ukrainian shelling, he ran away and was left alone. His commander said via radio that they would pick him up later. It wasn’t long before Azer realized he had been abandoned.

“I remember it clearly,” Azer says. “It’s burned into my eyes. I saw so many young men in the forest, around 18-19 years old, all of them dead, already rotting. [The Russians] don’t take them. I swear, 100%. Young guys I passed by, some without heads, arms, all dead. No one takes them. They don’t care in the Russian Federation.”

Azer kept repeating it, as if in disbelief: not a single dead Russian soldier was retrieved.

“This war is wrong, a mistake,” he says. “Boys, don’t come; everyone here is deceived. I want to go home, to my wife, my child. I want to see them and tell them everything I’ve seen in this life. I’ll tell them everything.”

Azerbaijani Law

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan reminded at the end of 2025 that participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine on any side is considered a crime in the country, punishable by life imprisonment. The Azerbaijani authorities emphasized that participation in armed conflicts on the territory of foreign states is not merely a personal choice but, in accordance with national criminal legislation, a serious crime, and in some cases a particularly serious one.

According to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, mercenary activity is considered a crime punishable by imprisonment from 8 to 20 years, or even life imprisonment.

By joining the Russian army, foreign mercenaries face two choices: endure harsh conditions in the Russian army with no way out of the contract except through death, or be captured by Ukrainian forces and deported back home to face legal consequences.

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