# Reporter’s notebook: Visiting a POW camp is the best antidote to sympathy for Russian soldiers

https://mins.news/en/item/119570

- The Kyiv Independent, 2026-10-28 17:57 UTC
- World
- Original: https://kyivindependent.com/reporters-notebook-visiting-a-pow-camp-is-the-best-possible-antidote-to-sympathy-for-russian-soldiers/

> The reporter recounts visiting a Ukrainian POW camp and asking Russian captives why they volunteered to fight. The article says Russians continue to enlist in large numbers and challenges sympathy for soldiers portrayed as forced into the war.

## Related coverage

- [Russians describe forced and deceptive military recruitment](https://mins.news/en/video/117851) — CNN, 2026-10-27
