Russian officer captured by Ukraine apologizes for 'genocide' and asks for forgiveness

A Russian officer captured by Ukrainian forces referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "genocide." In a televised statement shared on Monday, he said that Russian troops were deceived into believing that Kyiv had been overthrown by the Nazis and needed to be liberated.

Last Thursday, Ukraine's Unian news agency held a press conference with three Russian prisoners. Viewers were particularly impressed by the words of Astakhov National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Mikhailovich.

Mikhailovich said that the deception towards Russian troops was a "one-sided information" campaign. He revealed that his doubts about an alleged "invasion of the fascist regime" in Kyiv were confirmed when he learned that his favorite boxers, Ukrainians Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, planned to fight for the resistance.

The lieutenant insisted that his statement had not been written in advance and was not the result of pressure or intimidation by his Ukrainian captors.

Mikhailovich asked Ukraine for forgiveness and claimed that he would be willing to go to jail for participating in the brutal Russian offensive. "I feel ashamed to have come to this country," he said. "I don't know why we were doing it. We knew very little. We brought sadness to this land."

The officer apologized to the Ukrainian people, who have been attacked by Russian troops since February 24. "I cannot find the words to apologize to the Ukrainian people," Mikhailovich said, adding that he would understand if Russia was never forgiven.

The lieutenant also asked Ukraine to spare the lives of Russian troops. "Many of them are simply ashamed. They don't want war," he said. 

"I only hope, sincerely, for your mercy towards those people who come to you with their hands up, or those who are wounded. We should not sow death; it is better to sow life," he said.

Finally, Mikhailovich urged his fellow Russians to "be brave" and oppose their commanders.

"You're in a tense situation, going against your own commander. But this is genocide," he added. "Russia can't win here anyway, even if we go all the way. We can invade territory, but we can't invade people."

A Russian POW begs for forgiveness from the Ukrainian people. “If someone came on my land, I would do exactly what Ukrainians are doing—and I’d be right.” Says people people back home have been brainwashed—including himself.

Watch the whole thing. It’s extraordinary. https://t.co/ljlpIIWxVX

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) March 6, 2022