‘A small way for me to channel my pain and rage’: ldier captured by Ukrainian troops and traded back to Russia says he plans to return to the frontlines

Twenty-four-year-old Dmitry Paramoshkin signed a contract with the Russian army in 2020, near the end of his conscription term. "It just sort of happened that way. They said there'd be exercises, [parachute] jumps, we'd ride around, and do that kind of stuff. So, I went ahead and did it," he told the news website Fontanka. On February 25, 2022, Dmitry and his fellow soldiers were told that they were headed to Crimea to join planned military drills. When they arrived, they were given new orders: go to Kherson and then Mykolaiv. Paramoshkin was later captured after invading Ukraine, held prisoner for several weeks, and returned home to St. Petersburg in a prisoner exchange. Now he says he plans to return to the fight, confident that Russia will prevail. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/05/27/i-m-a-military-man-a-simple-man