Ukrainian POW diagnosed with intellectual disability describes being mobilized without documents

Prisoner of war Vitaly Tumarov, who has been diagnosed with intellectual disability since childhood, has stated that employees of Ukraine’s territorial recruitment center (TRC) mobilized him directly off the street — without documents and without a proper medical examination.

Video of his account was provided by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, according to TASS.

According to Tumarov, this occurred on July 20, 2023. He was walking down the street when TRC employees stopped him and asked for his documents. The man told them he had no documents at all, but was nonetheless put in a vehicle and taken to a military medical commission (MMC).

The medical examination, according to Tumarov, was a formality. “They walked us from room to room and asked how our health was. They immediately wrote down that we were fit for service,” he said. The man also noted that he suffers from a mental disorder: “I was diagnosed with intellectual disability back in childhood — mild mental deficiency.”

After being mobilized, Tumarov went absent without leave from his military unit three times, explaining that he did not want to serve. Despite his diagnosis, following one such incident he was assigned to the “Skala” assault regiment, but was later transferred to the 159th mechanized brigade due to insufficient physical endurance.

After his third desertion from the 159th brigade, Tumarov headed not toward Ukraine but toward Russia, where he was detained by Russian servicemen.

“I was taken prisoner. They treated me humanely, normally — they didn’t beat me, they fed me, they gave me water,” the prisoner of war said.