By Nadiya Savchenko, via Mark Feygin (lawyer)
06.04.2015
Translated by Maria Stanislav and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Nadiya Savchenko, in a letter to her lawyer on the fates of Ukrainian and Russian military servicemen:

“Let me briefly present two historical facts.

In the USSR, Stalin, when offered to free his son from [German] captivity in exchange for a German Field-Marshal, replied, “I don’t exchange a general for a soldier [private]!” In Soviet ideology, captivity was tantamount to treason.

While in the USA, a company of soldiers laid down their lives to rescue from captivity the last-surviving son, Private Ryan. In general, the US military do not draft the last surviving son to the front.

By now, these facts may be shrouded in mythology and their factual reliability distorted, they throw into sharp contrast the value of life in these two, very polar, states. My own story is well-known. I am a Ukrainian officer, taken captive by my own people who were duped by the enemy, then sold, still by my own people, kidnapped and taken to Russia. Now, falsely accused by the Russian investigation, I am in prison. But the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian government, and many people in the world are fighting for me, as hard as they can, tooth and nail.

I was deeply shocked by the story of two Russian soldiers, captured by the Ukrainian army in the territory of Ukraine, while carrying out secret criminal orders of the Russian authorities in the undeclared, dishonorable hybrid war against the Ukrainian people. I was shocked to see Russia abandon its soldiers. The Kremlin simply renounced them. The Russian President would rather sign a decree ordering non-disclosure of military losses in a time of peace, to hide from the Russian people the number of sons of Russian mothers whom he sent to certain death, with no attempt to save their lives.

I was defending my land! And I was taken captive because I decided – my captivity is not worth the life of the guy who walked towards me to capture me. I chose not to shoot at him.

Whom are the Russian militaries protecting in another country’s territory? The interests of their government? Then why is their government abandoning them? They were taken captive because they got wounded and made their choice.

Captivity does not always equal treason.

And there isn’t always one last grenade saved for yourself.

Nadiya Savchenko.
Moscow. Prison.”

Source: Mark Feygin Twitter