«Everyone remained in the forest. Everyone died.» A Belarusian went to fight for Russia because there was no work at the factory, and was captured
Belarusian Yury Baran signed a contract with the Russian army due to a lack of work at his factory. At the front, he found himself in a group of five people who were ordered to break into Lyman. Only he reached the city. The man recounted what happened next in an interview with the "Hochu zhit" (I Want to Live) project.
In the summer of 2026, intense battles were fought in the Lyman direction in the Donetsk region. Russian troops tried to capture Lyman, which is of great importance for a further offensive on Sloviansk. They sent small groups of infantry into the city, attempting to gain a foothold on its outskirts. Ukrainian servicemen reported heavy Russian losses during such assaults.
The "Hochu zhit" project spoke with servicemen of the 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies of Russia, who were taken Ukrainian prisoners during battles in this direction. Among them is Belarusian Yury Baran.
The man explains his decision to sign a contract with the Russian army by the fact that there was no work at the factory where he worked. Baran does not specify what kind of enterprise it was.
The Belarusian mentions the conditions at the front primarily in connection with supply problems.
«The summer was hot. There was a catastrophic lack of water. Everyone was shouting: 'Water, water, water'," he recounts.
The Belarusian was captured directly in Lyman. According to him, his group of five people was tasked with breaking into the city and waiting for another group there. To minimize risk, they decided to move one by one. The Belarusian went first.
«I entered the city of Lyman and was already sitting, waiting for the main group. The group didn't reach me. Everyone remained in the forest. Everyone died," Baran recalls.
He didn't learn about the death of his comrades immediately. For some time, the Belarusian continued to wait for them in the city. Meanwhile, the place where he was located began to be shelled.
«Drone strikes, artillery, mortars from the Ukrainian side began," the man recounts.
Baran decided to leave the dangerous place, crossed the railway, and found another shelter in the city. Later, while moving between shelters, he encountered Ukrainian servicemen.
«There was a business proposition: if you want to live – surrender, if you don't want to live – don't surrender. Well, the conclusion was obvious."
According to Baran, Ukrainian soldiers treated him humanely.
«There was enough food, they fed us. Even if you smoke, they also provided cigarettes."
The Belarusian concludes his story with reflections on how much Russian servicemen generally understand where and why they are being sent.
«I'm going there, I don't know where. Yes, probably most [Russian] soldiers go like that," he notes.
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