Amidst probably the biggest war in Europe after 1945 as Russia entered the fourth day of the invasion, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry established a special hotline for captured/dead Russian soldiers to contact their families. Ukrainian outlet, The Kyiv Independent tweeted that the hotline named 'Come back alive from Ukraine' became operational on February 26. Since then, it has already received hundreds of calls.
Anton Gerashchenko, adviser at the Internal Affairs Ministry earlier noted that the hotline was meant for 'mothers, fathers, wives, grandparents, Russian occupiers.' "On this phone line, you can find out whether your relatives are still alive, taken prisoner, injured, and you can decide when and how to take the body of your deceased relative," Gerashchenko said.
"If your loved one is in our captivity, you can leave a short message for your husband, son," he further added. Multiple videos of young Russian soldiers in Ukrainian captivity went viral on social media.
'Come Back Alive from Ukraine'
"Named 'Come back alive from Ukraine,' the hotline became operational on Feb. 26 and has received hundreds of calls from relatives of the Russian military looking for their loved ones," a tweet by the Ukrainian outlet, The Kyiv Independent read.
'I am in Captivity, Dad'
A video of a Russian soldier in Ukrainian captivity trying to talk to his parents emerged on social media. The unnamed captured soldier tried to explain the situation to his parents back in Russia as his Ukrainian counterpart held the phone.
"I am in captivity dad," the Russian soldier told his parents on the phone, who couldn't seem to comprehend the situation. "What should I do?" the soldier's panic-stricken mother was heard saying. At that moment the Ukrainian soldier told his captured Russian counterpart to assure his parents that he was being well-treated and encouraged him to ask his parents to appeal to their Russian high command for his release.
Another video showed a young Russian tank crew soldier in Ukrainian captivity. The videos, however, were not independently verified.
