Ukrainian prisoners of war and defectors have been gathered into a Russian battalion to face Ukrainian forces — why? And how?

Russia's use of Ukrainian prisoners of war and defectors in combat units raises questions about voluntary recruitment and the treatment of prisoners.

The full report

Reports of Russian combat units consisting of Ukrainian prisoners of war and former servicemembers of Ukraine's armed forces began emerging in late 2022. Several detachments were initially formed and in August 2026, they were merged into the so-called "Ukrainian Volunteer Special Forces Brigade."

The Maksym Kryvonis battalion, one of the units, has drawn public attention for its involvement in combat. Its true size is unknown, with Russian media reports claiming about 200 fighters, while available footage suggests several dozen. An investigative team of the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne has identified over 30 members and confirmed they are all former Ukrainian servicemen, captured by Russian forces between 2023 and 2024.

Pavel Luzin, an expert for Russian foreign policy and defense at the Center for European Policy Analysis, believes these units are an "imitation" of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, and an attempt by Moscow to distract from the fact that these units exist in the first place.

Ukrainian intelligence services tend to agree, with Yevhen Shybalov, author and veteran of the war in Ukraine, stating that Russian troops have never tried to hide the fact that Russian volunteer units in Ukrainian ranks were the main reason Russian forces wanted to create Ukrainian units for their own ranks.

Reporting status

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