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The person insists he joined the ranks of the Ukrainian navy to acquire the nation’s citizenship
RT’s Roman Kosarev spoke to Vjekoslav Prebek, a Croatian nationwide who fought within the ranks of the Ukrainian navy. Prebek says he was a serviceman in a Ukrainian marine brigade that was holed up within the metropolis of Mariupol. He claims to have been taken prisoner throughout an try to flee the besieged metropolis alongside a handful of different fighters.
“We had been leaving Mariupol and we had been strolling on foot for 260 kilometers hiding, strolling solely throughout night time, avoiding all contact potential,” he stated. The plan flopped when the group bumped into an artillery unit and surrendered to it.
Prebek’s unit has had a number of foreigners in its ranks, together with three British nationals. A number of different foreigners went AWOL from the brigade shortly after the continuing battle broke out late in February.
The fighter says he joined the ranks of the Ukrainian navy again in 2020, looking for to get the nation’s citizenship after serving a three-year contract. Again then, it appeared like a good suggestion, because the frontline within the Donbass was “stationary,” he stated, including that he “nearly” didn’t fireplace a shot on the time.
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“My cause for wanting to realize the Ukrainian citizenship is as a result of I met a lady right here that I acquired in love. She had sick mom and he or she didn’t need to depart Ukraine,” Prebek stated, with out explaining how precisely he ended up in Ukraine within the first place.
Beforehand, Prebek served in Croatia’s military for 5 years. The person insisted he didn’t have any actual battle expertise and was merely an “infantryman” in his dwelling nation’s military. “I used to be an infantryman within the Croatian armed forces for 5 years, that’s all,” he claimed. “I haven’t been concerned into any conflicts earlier than.”
The prisoner says he has had little first-hand expertise with far-right Ukrainian models, such because the infamous neo-Nazi Azov regiment. Whereas the unit did take part within the battle of Mariupol alongside Prebek’s brigade, that they had little communication and a wholly totally different command, he claims.
“They do take part in protection, however we get separate command line, utterly separate. They aren’t part of the Ukrainian armed forces,” he stated.
I heard additionally that they [Azov] are very fascistic and Nazi. I heard additionally about horrible issues they did to residents, captured them even in all probability capturing at us at a while. I’ve heard there are a whole lot of criminals, drug customers [among them]. I’ve not witnessed something myself, however I’ve been proven movies which are horrible of what they’re doing. Enormous atrocities.
Prebek insists he would by no means take up arms ever once more, in all probability becoming a member of “some charity” or the Worldwide Pink Cross ought to he be let out. Acquiring Ukrainian citizenship by means of serving within the nation’s navy was the fallacious resolution, he admitted.
I consider I ought to have regarded for different technique of reaching Ukrainian citizenship and never serving within the armed forces.
“I need to survive, I need to reside. I don’t need to take weapons in my fingers any time once more in my life. I want to rejoin with the lady that I met right here in Ukraine and, perhaps, discuss extra in regards to the fact that I’ve seen what occurred right here, how I used to be handled by my captors,” he stated. In keeping with Prebek, he has been handled effectively in custody, well-fed, and supplied with crucial medical help.
Prebek’s destiny nevertheless, stays unsure, given his overseas nationality. Within the Donetsk Individuals’s Republic (DPR) foreigners are broadly thought to be mercenaries, and being a mercenary may fetch a fighter a heavy punishment, as much as the capital one.
The person himself insists he was a professional combatant and a member of the Ukrainian navy. “They take into account me POW however they’re nonetheless [saying] that I’m a mercenary, that I’m not formally a member of the Ukrainian armed forces,” Prebek stated. Underneath worldwide legislation, overseas volunteers who be part of – on a private foundation and by their very own initiative – the armed forces of one of many events to an armed battle are thought-about combatants.
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