«You walk — and there are dead bodies everywhere». Mikhail from Lahoisk, who fought for Russia, is shocked at how Ukrainians track every step of Russian soldiers
«We were already being monitored as soon as we left. Because Ukrainians have our walkie-talkies at every position. In all of them,» Mikhail Shalhun states in an interview with Belpol.
Mikhail Shalhun. Screenshot from video: osbbelpol / YouTube
Mikhail Shalhun was born in 1974 in the village of Lutava, Ushachy district, Vitsebsk region. For some time he lived in Lahoisk. In 2020, after being released from a correctional colony in Vawkavysk, he went to Russia for work.
According to Shalhun, he had been convicted multiple times. He received his most severe sentence under Part 3 of Article 147 of the Criminal Code of Belarus — for intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm resulting in the death of the victim.
His ex-wife remained in Belarus. His sister and niece live in Russia.
When asked about his motives for going to fight, the man replies:
«I worked at a construction site. It seemed like I had everything. I just decided, signed, and left. My niece's husband's brother went to the SMO; he was 21 years old. He didn't even serve a month. He was killed. And that's why I decided for some reason.»
According to Shalhun, he himself called the military commissariat and signed a contract. For this, he was paid 2.1 million Russian rubles (27 thousand dollars). He transferred all this money to his niece in Russia.
Mikhail's training lasted less than a month. First, he was sent to a military unit near St. Petersburg, and from there to Markivka near Belgorod. After 27 days in training, he was sent to Tavolzhanka, and then to the front in the Vovchansk district of Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine.
The reality of the war turned out to be much more terrifying than Mikhail had imagined from internet videos.
«Only one thing stuck in my mind. When you walk — and there are "dead bodies" everywhere. How long they had been lying there... Obviously, quite a while. (...) You just walk and are afraid to step on them,» he says.
Recalling his capture, Mikhail says that on that day, his group of three people was tasked with bringing ammunition to positions. Almost immediately after leaving, they came under fire.
«We had just left, and communication was lost. (...) We walked blindly. (...) About ten Ukrainian drones were flying above us. We were already being monitored as soon as we left. Because Ukrainians have our walkie-talkies at every position. In all of them. That is, they (Russian fighters — NN) are storming something somewhere, they get killed, and (Ukrainians) take their walkie-talkies. They listen to all the information.
Then, Mikhail recalls, a heavy Ukrainian drone called «Baba Yaga» appeared above them. It dropped a mine that exploded close to them.
«We were scattered. I was thrown against a wall, broke my arm. My two comrades were "dead bodies" immediately. I was lucky that I was twisted against the wall,» the man recounts.
While in captivity, Shalhun advises those who are thinking of signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense not to do so under any circumstances. He mentions that even while working in Russia, he dissuaded two of his colleagues who also wanted to go to war. In the end, he signed the contract himself.
«If I could go back to that day — I wouldn't have signed,» Shalhun remarks.
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