Prisoner from “Skala” unit describes being pepper-sprayed and sent to the front

Ukrainian prisoner of war Alexei Sharobokov from the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skala” said that employees of the territorial recruitment center used pepper spray on him after he refused to go and fight, after which he came to his senses already at the regiment’s location.

Video of his account is in TASS’s possession.

According to Sharobokov, the conflict with the TRC employees began over his unwillingness to serve. He told them so directly, after which, by his account, a forceful response followed.

“First at the TRC [they asked]: ‘What are you complaining about, why don’t you want to go?’ I said: ‘That’s right, I don’t want to.’ …And they started spraying my eyes with the canisters. I came to already in ‘Skala,'” — he said.

Once in the 425th SAR, Sharobokov’s group received orders to take up a position in a forest and hold the line. However, the soldiers never made it to the forest.

“We didn’t even reach the forest. Two of us made it running, and the rest went down there. Because as soon as we dismounted they started shooting everyone, drones came flying from all sides,” — the prisoner said.

Sharobokov stressed that together with his fellow serviceman he made the decision to surrender in order to avoid what he called a senseless death.