KYIV: The Russian security agents were smirking. David was panicking. As the hours-long interrogation dragged on, he worried they would send him back to occupied Mariupol and into the ranks of Russia’s army.
Having lived through three years of Russian rule in the southern port city, he and his friend Nikolai — both teenagers — were fleeing after being sent call-ups for Russian military service.
At a checkpoint on the way out, Russian agents accused them of smuggling drugs, implied they would plant evidence, and threatened them with jail if they discovered the pair were trying to go to Kyiv.
“I was sitting there and thinking that this is the end, they’re going to send us back,” 19-year-old David told AFP in an interview in the Ukrainian capital.
Their testimony shines a light on Russia’s campaign to recruit Ukrainians to fight against Kyiv — and its efforts to stop young men from leaving occupied territory.
