// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Captured Ukrainian-born soldiers tell BBC why they fought for Russia
Many of the soldiers were born in Ukraine but consider themselves to be Russian
In Western Ukraine, behind high walls and layers of locked gates, there is a camp full of men captured fighting for Russia.
Many of those crouching in the shade around the edges of the prison yard were recruited from big cities like St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, not far-flung and poorer regions like at the start of the full-scale invasion.
Amongst them are soldiers from Ukraine itself: the men who went to war with their own country.
Interviewing prisoners of war is not straightforward: to be sure they are not being coerced, first and foremost, and then to assess how openly they are speaking in the circumstances.
But with no access to the military inside Russia, it is a chance to assess the dynamics of this war and explore what might motivate the men fighting it. That includes the Ukrainian-born soldiers, on Russia's side.
We gave everyone the right to refuse an interview and spoke to those who agreed far away from any guards, and without cameras. As well as several formal interviews, I was able to talk to prisoners directly, in Russian, in several locations.
The PoW camp holds men who come from occupied eastern Ukraine as well as some of the big Russian cities
Anton was 10 when his part of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region was taken over by forces loyal to Moscow.
In 2022, when Vladimir Putin escalated to all-out war, he turned 18 and signed up to fight immediately - for Russia.