In a remarkable display of endurance and prioritization of the prisoner exchange fund, a Ukrainian soldier from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Magura” carried a wounded Belarusian mercenary for 10 kilometers across heavily mined terrain in the Sumy region. The operation’s details and footage were officially released by the brigade’s press service.
The Belarusian citizen, who had signed a contract to fight for the Russian Ministry of Defense, voluntarily decided to surrender to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, his attempt to safely cross the combat line went awry when he stepped on a landmine, sustaining severe injuries.
Hearing his cries for help, soldiers from the 47th Brigade located the wounded mercenary. Understanding the critical value of capturing enemy combatants alive to secure the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war, a Ukrainian defender with the call sign “Lut” (Fury) took it upon himself to evacuate the injured man. Against the odds, he carried the Belarusian on his back for 10 kilometers through hazardous minefields.
“I carried him so that he could be exchanged for one of our boys,” “Lut” explained, highlighting the immense lengths Ukrainian troops go to in order to bring their captured comrades home.
The grueling evacuation quickly paid tactical dividends. Following his capture and the provision of medical assistance, the Belarusian mercenary provided Ukrainian intelligence with the exact coordinates of Russian military encampments in the area. Utilizing this crucial intelligence, the brigade’s artillery and drone strike units successfully targeted and obliterated the Russian positions.
This incident sheds light on the broader trend of the Russian Federation utilizing foreign mercenaries to compensate for its staggering frontline manpower shortages. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have captured numerous foreign nationals fighting for Russia. For instance, in the fiercely contested Pokrovsk sector of the Donetsk region, Ukrainian assault troops recently captured two Colombian citizens fighting under the Russian flag. Similarly, Ukrainian paratroopers successfully replenished the exchange fund by capturing a group of regular Russian soldiers in the Slavyansk direction.
The contrast between the two warring sides remains stark. While international monitors continue to report Russian executions and torture of Ukrainian POWs, the Ukrainian Armed Forces consistently adhere to the Geneva Conventions, providing medical care and safe conditions even for mercenaries who came to kill them, viewing every captured enemy as a vital ticket home for a Ukrainian hero.