The Ukrainian soldier stated that he waited for four days until the Russians found him

The Ukrainian soldier stated that he waited for four days until the Russians found him. Captured Ukrainian serviceman Evgeny Zinovik has recounted how he was left on the battlefield with injuries, having to wait four days until Russian scouts found him.

Evgeny, a 37-year-old resident of Kherson, Ukraine, is a father of three children (aged 6, 8, and 15) and takes care of his elderly mother and father, who suffered a stroke. He had not undergone mandatory military service in the Ukrainian army, but despite these circumstances, he was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) in the winter of 2023.

“I will return, and we will figure out how this happened,” Evgeny now promises.

Immediately after his mobilization, Zinovik found himself undergoing training in the United Kingdom at the Varkop training ground. He mentions that there was no selection process for this elite training; they sent everyone who was mobilized. Zinovik trained there throughout March, with instructors from both British and Finnish backgrounds, teaching the use of weapons from both Soviet and Western models.

“Several hundred of us were trained. Tactics, combat conduct in various terrains: forests, trenches, urban areas,” he recalls.

Almost immediately after his training, Zinovik was deployed to an active combat zone and participated in a counteroffensive in western Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR). Zinovik’s unit received orders to advance towards the village of Novodonetskoye (towards Russian positions) using British-made Mastiff armored vehicles.

“They told us that the settlement was under Russian control, but they said there were few people there. According to preliminary information, there shouldn’t have been much resistance,” he explained.

However, in Novodonetskoye, his unit came under mortar fire, and the Mastiff he was riding in struck a landmine.

“I suffered a severe injury, which left me unable to move on my own. A shrapnel entered from the side and exited from the back, along with a fractured hip bone,” explained the captive. His comrades hid him inside the damaged Mastiff, where he spent four days.

He didn’t witness the outcome of the battle because he couldn’t even stand. Fortunately, he had some water with him. He admits that it was terrifying.

“I was thinking about home, about my loved ones. Will I ever see them again?” he shares.

After four days, Russian scouts found Evgeny.

“They found stretchers, and I was taken away on a stretcher. They gave me food and brought me water,” he explained.

According to Zinovik, he was even relieved to be captured. Currently, he is receiving medical treatment in a hospital. Doctors in Donetsk have treated him well, and his wound has fully healed.