Captured Russian: Disabled people are also thrown into assault, and even if there are 18 shrapnel in body
A prisoner of war of the Russian Armed Forces, Staff Sergeant Yevhen Agafonov from Krasnodar Territory, tells about a "disabled assault team" where a 64-year-old infantryman with a cane fought, the lack of evacuation in case of injury, and the inability to return to Russia for treatment.
- Please introduce yourself, what is your name?
- Agafonov Evgeny Alexandrovich.
- What was your position and rank in the war?
- My rank was senior sergeant. I was a squad leader.
- How old are you?
- 46.
- What city are you from?
- I am from the Krasnodar Territory.
- Village? Stanitsa? (large Cossack village - ed.note)
- Stanytsia.
- Which one?
- Novoshcherbinovskaya.
- In 2022, did you join the army as a contractor soldier right away?
- No, in 2022, on September 21, I watched TV. Before the TV had time to cool down, three men in uniform brought me a draft notice to sign.
- Yeah, straight to you. So you're basically in the first wave of mobilization?
- First wave, yes. As they explained to us, it's no big deal, two weeks. It's like retraining and then you can go home. But we didn't go home.
- How many of you, like you, were mobilized in your village?
- Eight, I think, the first eight. The first eight.
- Is everyone alive?
- I'm the one left, it turns out I'm the only one left. Vovka - KIA (killed in action), he's exactly KIA. The other one is missing. The third one is also missing. And one had a bad rotation: his skull was fractured at home.
- How's that? Drunk? After mobilization, what military unit did you join?
- We were assigned to Buynarskaya. 136.
- What training did you receive when you went into combat?
- Two weeks on the firing range with a machine gun.
- When you found yourself in Ukraine, in which area did you take part in the hostilities?
- We did not take part in combat operations because we were on the second line. Our task was to organize defensive positions. So that those in front, in case of anything, would have a place to force back. Even though it's the second line of defense, it still hits. There are WIA (wounded in action). We've started to replenish them with contract soldiers. And from our company, we had all mobiks (newly mobilized soldiers - ed. note). Even the company commander was a mobik. And then we slowly became WIA, WIA. And I can't swear, right?
- You can.
- They announced for training 9 men on IFVs: they would give us IFVs, like you were motorized riflemen, and they would use them for assaults. And then, in short, they were gone, and everything was done by trial and error. And when there were 12 mobiks left for the whole company...
- How many men were in the company at the beginning?
- There were a hundred men in the company.
- A hundred men. Standing on the second line and in a year or how much time was left?
- No, it was a year and a half.
- In a year and a half, 12 men left?
- Yeah. Well, they left because of sickness, then the older ones left, plus 50, that still worked.
- But you stayed. What's the reason you're undesirable and why they decided to remove you from the company too?
- They were all removed anyway.
- All mobiks?
- Yes.
- Ah, you're not changing for volunteer military service, are you?
- Yes.
- So you were told to sign a contract.
- Yes. You sign the contract, you go on rotation.
- So everyone who didn't sign a contract was sent into the assault.
- Uh-huh. Yeah.
- Why were you transferred to the 114th Brigade? Isn't the 136th Brigade fighting on its own?
- That's what I don't know. They did an elementary thing, they took to the IK.
- What is this?
- IK-15, like a correctional camp. They didn't charge you anything, just a psychologist talking to you: "What? Are you sick of fighting?". You start explaining to him, he says, "Bullshit". I say, well, take it as a story, show me what you wrote. Here we go. I'm wondering why the hell they didn't explain anything, and then buyers just come there. So to say, well, as a distribution point.
- Do you have many people in your assault team?
- In the spring it was 500. In March, it was 580.
- 580 in March?
- Yes.
- How many people are left in the assault team?
- I don't know, because sometimes they don't come, and then suddenly they do.
- And now you've been told that you're going to a defensive position or a fortified area, what did they say?
- Well, like, defensive position, a fortified area. How does it work? The group is walking, and you don't even know where you're going until the last minute.
- Is the task not explained to you at all, what you have to do?
- No. The task was already set from point zero, to come in and get a foothold. And where will they take you, where do you have to get a foothold?
- Do you at least know the area of your operations, do you look at the map?
- There is no map. Really. We are just followed by the UAV and that's it.
- I see. But who was the commander of your group?
- Grey, I think. I knew for two days. Like he was a former Wagnerian or something.
- Yes, they put a Wagnerian in charge of you.
- Yes, the former one.
- How many people were in your group?
- Three.
- What task could the three of you have accomplished?
- Well, in threes.
- But you said that only disabled people or people with injuries were selected.
- All these disabled people were taken away from us. Those who were wounded and limping...
- How many were there?
- Well, that's three of us and three persons were in the other group.
- Were they all disabled?
- Yes.
-This is a disabled assault team.
- Yes, you could say that.
You're surprised, aren't you, why all of them?
- Well, what I've known for years, they say they're gonna get f#cked either way.
- How are you tasked, what are you supposed to do?
- Go where the UAV directs you to go, go into a house or a barn or something, I don't know. But not the wood line, as I understand it. Because it led all the way to these factories. And to keep a defense there to kind of cover the next groups that would be coming.
- What kind of weapons did you receive?
- A Kalashnikov rifle.
- Grenade launchers, grenades?
- There were grenades.
- How many magazines did you get?
- Four magazines each and plus additional ammunition load.
- Were there radio communications sets, was there one radio communications set?
- Yes. We walked about eight kilometers loaded with rocket-propelled anti-personnel flame throwers to zero line. Well, so to speak, so that we didn't go in vain, we dragged the ammunition load to zero line. And that was it. We're sick and tired as horses, pardon the expression. Because we're all f#cking lame. That's two rocket-propelled anti-personnel flame throwers plus your stuff. That's a lot of weight. And you don't walk at a walking pace, you walk under the UAVs. And that's up and down, plus the hideouts. When you go up and down, you go up, and so, dragging out. And there is still 300 meters to run. Not relishing at all.
- Did you run?
- Yes, I ran as fast as I could through covered areas.
- Wow. With shrapnel like that.
- You'll want to live. We reached zero line there, we sat there for half a day, they took us to another dugout and the next day, in the morning, we had to pack up and we went slowly.
- What happened to your arm, please tell us.
- Well, when going out on a combat mission I got a stray bullet, probably, I don't know, I was running across the road with a field there a piece and it flew into my elbow. My arm hung, well, I think the bone was broken. I ran to the side, into the bushes, began to perform first aid on myself. Well, as you understand, I can't do anything with one hand more than apply a tourniquet. No one came to me.
- Did you call on the walkie-talkie?
- I didn't have a walkie-talkie. The leader of the trio had a walkie-talkie. I ran first.
- Are there any evacuation groups at all, someone looking for you? You go out somewhere, and they have to bring you food, water, take the wounded away.
- Here the groups are coming, and they bring water, food. If you're wounded, you have to go out...
- By yourself?
- Yes.
- They tell you right away that you won't be evacuated, that you're on your own?
- Because no one will get there. You have to get out at least to the zero point. To the zero point, it's probably about five kilometers to walk.
- Five kilometers for a wounded man?
- Yeah. That's to zero point. No one will come to zero point either. To zero point, they'll tell you that someone came in with these injuries. And if you give OK, a convoyer would be there to help you. You'll have to walk another eight kilometers.
- On foot?
- On foot. That's it. So I just sat there, no one came. That's it. And at dusk, well, in the dim light, I started to move. My arm didn't work. I lost my assault rifle. I just couldn't buckle my helmet. Well, it wasn't good. And in the morning, I don't know what time, probably about eight o'clock in the morning, maybe nine o'clock, I went out to your guys. They took me in. Well, it was okay.
- Did you receive medical care?
- Yes, when I was accepted, right away.
- Did the Ukrainians provide medical assistance?
- Ukrainians, yes.
- Do they examine your wound in captivity? Do they give you any help?
- Yes.
- Did they apply a bandage to you?
- Yeah, it's fresh today. It's just a bandage, and there's a dressing underneath. And on my foot, it turns out, I got a drop too. I was on my way with your guys, and we had a drop.
- A Russian drone dropped on you, too? Yeah, so they wouldn't surrender. Basically, what's your health status otherwise?
- Well, I wouldn't say great, but I still got it. Because before that I was wounded in the same brigade...
- This isn't your first wound?
- Yeah. I got hit by a cluster munition.
- In the 114th Brigade?
- Yeah, I got mowed down. I got, uh, over 20 pieces of shrapnel down there.
- Whoa! On the legs?
- On the legs. Fractured pelvis. And in that condition, they sent me to the battle zone. I tried to get home to Russia. No luck. So I could at least pass the Military Physician Board (MPB) there.
- So you have how much shrapnel left in your legs?
- Well, I don't know exactly, except for the buttocks. 18 for sure.
- So with 18 shrapnel, the 114th Brigade sent you back to the assault?
- Uh, yeah.
- Wow!
- I don't take into account what's sticking out of my ribs. But it doesn't seem to bother me. Well, yeah. Legs, arms intact, go ahead.
- Well, you're a motivated man to go storming with injuries like that.
- Storming...surviving.
- Tell me, under what circumstances did you first receive these cluster shell wounds? What happened? Where was it?
- We withdrew from Orlivka.
- From Orlivka, which is near Avdiivka.
- Yes, yes. And we went to Semenivka. It's about two kilometres away, I think. But we didn't make it. The group was eliminated. I was the only one left.
- Are you the only one left alive?
- Yeah. Because I was the last to go. I had a cluster munition, and the guys ran on. And the 120-mm mortar shell hit there. Right at them.
- How many people were walking?
- Five.
- And how many died?
- Four.
- Where did the shrapnel hit you?
- Well, in the buttocks, basically. It’s around the pelvis area, somewhere under the testicles. There’s a location about a centimeter by a centimeter, give or take. That bothers me too. And then there’s some on the legs. Right here in the joint, I think. Honestly, I don’t remember exactly.
- Are there eighteen fragments in you right now?
- Yes, a hundred percent, I still have them in me. One came out of my neck—it was small and came out by itself. There's no discomfort in my chest. There’s one in my arm, too. If it doesn’t bother me, it’s just embedded in the soft tissue.
- How long were you treated for these injuries?
- I started to get treatment. I told them, "I need you to take some X-rays." They said, "That's not how it's done. Calm down." A month went by, and they just healed the wounds. I asked, "What about the X-rays?" They said, "You're fine." I said, "I can't walk very well. Somehow, I managed to convince them to do the X-rays. When I got to the doctor, he asked, "What do you want?" I showed him the issue, and he said, "We don’t do that many X-rays at once." I said, "How was that my problem? You've done nothing for a month." So, I spent a week getting the X-rays. When they analyzed them, they scratched their heads and said, "You need a CT (computer tomography) or HCT (helical computed tomography) scan. I don't remember exactly. If there are shrapnel fragments, that's the only way to find them. If not..." I asked, "Where can I get this done?" He said, "Our machine is broken." "So, where can I do it?" "You'll have to find one."
- That's the medical care for the heroes of the SMO.
- I went and asked around. No. Anyway, I don't know how. I went here, too. I went to where they do CT.
- What kind of hospital is it that doesn't have a CT scanner and treats wounded people? What kind of hospital is this?
- Medical company.
- Medical company of the 114th Brigade?
- Yes.
- Well, did they send you to some kind of hospital?
- No, they sent me to the people who determine whether to send to Russia or not. They stripped me down to my underwear, made me kneel on the couch, and hit me on the back with a rubber mallet. They said, "You're fine." And that was it. I was beginning to wonder: no f#ckin' way, where did I end up so good? A week later, I got a CT scan at the same hospital. The doctor looked at it and said, "That’s it. You’re exempt from physical exertion." "For how long?" "For life."
- Did they give you this certificate at the medical company?
- No, it's in the hospital.
- Where is the hospital?
- Donetsk.
- Do you have a certificate stating that you are exempt from physical activity?
-Yeah. He gave me this referral. And he gave me a referral to a neurologist for treatment. But they wouldn't take me there. They keep me waiting, they keep me waiting. And then I was sent to the MPB, And then MPB said, if I'm not to be written off, there's no MPB. And then when there was an unspoken instruction not to send Russians to Russia.
- And then who do they send with wounds?
- Well, Well, there are guys sitting there. They decide who should be sent to Russia. Well, if it's severe cases, I understand. There's either a penetrating wound in the stomach or a leg torn off. I guess they send them. And I've seen them with prosthetics.
- A soldier in an assault unit with prosthetics? And he goes on an assault? Where would he go with a prosthetic?
- With a stick. 64 years old.
- You had an assault fighter at 64 with a stick?
- Here, I met him on my way here. Sitting in a dugout.
- Can he even wear body armor?
- Yeah. Nobody believes it.
- It's hard to believe that, of course. Why couldn't you have refused to say I couldn't?
- They said it would be worse.
- What do you mean, worse?
- Well, it's going to get worse. There are guys who refuse to serve.And now, from what I understand, it’s all done officially. Before, you were on your knees, got bell rung, and go ahead. But now they're doing it on purpose, they're opening the case. There's MPB. It's like a medical examination. And that's it. And then it's under a different banner. A little bit different.
- So you mean they're sending you anyway?
- They'd still send you if you didn't pass.
- Well, you can be sent when you're actually disabled. Because of your injuries.
- Oh, well. I've got arms, legs, everything. I had the desire to be wounded somewhere in the beginning. And forced back. Well, it didn't work.
- So you could just be wounded like that? How could you be convicted with 18 shrapnel? I can't imagine.
- Well, for us, it's not a result. You know what I mean?
- Well, is there any way to appeal to Russia? After all, you have family there.
- I did. My wife did. And they started digging up on. They started to raise all this stuff. And that's it. And hello, new battle zone.
- You wanted to return to Russia and that's why they sent you to the assault?
- Yes.
- And if you had just sat there silently?
- Maybe it would have worked. I would have kept on sitting.
- Ah, your wife wanted to take you to Russia as a mobilized man. She made a fuss.
- Yes. To pass the MPB, to undergo treatment.
- Was your wife trying to do the right thing, to save you?
- No. I told her, "Well, if you’ve started, then see it through." I said, "Go ahead, take it all the way, every last one of them. Let them deal with it, whatever it takes." You know, even if it's just a cup, even if it's bitter. There must be the truth.
- So, a mobilized man can't escape the assault, it turns out.
- As I understand it, no one did anything. It all started, let me tell you. Oh, the first ones to leave were the Storm-Z guys. They’d been there for six months, and then they were sent home. And from there, everything slowly started to unravel, bit by bit.
- If we compare the management of the Russian 136th Brigade and the 114th Brigade: where is it better, where is it worse?
- Well, how to compare it... It's an ass, let's put it this way. In terms of management. And to compare... The 136 is keeping its low profile, so to speak. And these guys are fighting anyway.
- Well, where's the supply better?
- Supplies?
- Food, uniforms, equipment.
- I never received a uniform in the 136th.
- Do you have to buy everything with your own money?
- It's all legal here, it's accepted. You buy your recovery. I'm buying my own armor now.
- They don't give them out?
- They may give you some: there you need to sew it up, there you need to patch it up. So, if it's in good condition, it's better to buy it. They'll take you there, show you where it's cheaper. I came to the store, in short, 70 thousand together with the plate carriers. They took it to another place, it was 37 thousand.
- How willing are you to even get into exchange? Do you think you'll be picked up by the brigade at all?
- If they lost me here, I don't know what I'm supposed to think.
- Well, go to your wife. Maybe your wife would have some influence, would help.
- Well, in order to contact my wife, I need a connection. If she recognizes me in the video.
- Have you talked to your son about joining the army?
- There's nothing to do here. He served his compulsory military service. And then I said, that's it, no more, you can do what you want. Solder your own pipes, wrench, whatever you want. No military. I said there's no soldiers in our family. You pay your debt, that's all. I'm the one who's got the scheme all messed up. You served your compulsory military service, you were mobilized. But it turns out they didn't mobilize me, they gave me a term. No statute of limitations.
