Russian Soldiers Demand Ransom From Mom Of Captured Ukrainian Fighter: Report

Russian soldiers reportedly threatened to execute a captured Ukrainian soldier on video if his mother failed to pay a ransom.

Novikov Alexey Antonovich, a Ukrainian soldier from the besieged city of Mariupol, was captured on April 23. In a video obtained by the Daily Mail, Russian soldiers were heard asking Antonovich to state his name and describe how he was being treated.

“I have food here, water, a toilet,” the soldier, who is part of the 109th brigade of the Donetsk territorial defense, said.

The video was later sent to the soldier’s mother with a demand of €5,000 (US$5,300) if she wanted Antonovich to stay alive. The soldiers also threatened to send her a video of the execution if she failed to pay the ransom.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the ransom video was reminiscent of those made by ISIS militants and called for Russia to be recognized as a “terrorist state.”

The video comes as the war, which began on Feb. 24, stretches into its third month. As of Sunday, Russian forces killed a total of 2,665 Ukrainian civilians, including 2,470 adults and 192 children, according to estimates from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner. However, the death toll could be significantly higher as Russian soldiers continue a barrage of attacks in several regions.

On Monday, Russian airstrikes hit five railway stations in central and western Ukraine, causing an unspecified number of casualties. One of the attacks occurred at 8.30 a.m. local time in Krasne, head of Ukrainian Railways Oleksander Kamyshin said.

Ukraine’s military command said the attacks were part of Russia’s attempts to disrupt arms supplies and military assistance from other countries.

"They are trying to destroy the supply routes of military-technical assistance from partner states. To do this, they focus strikes on railway junctions," a Ukrainian official wrote in a Facebook post, as translated by Reuters.

Russia previously said that it sees NATO and U.S. weapons as legitimate military targets, adding that any attempts by the West to inflict damage to Russian troops will be “harshly suppressed.”