Russia recruits Ukrainian POWs into volunteer battalions, DW reports

September 18, 2026 at 07:03 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Russia has formed volunteer battalions from Ukrainian prisoners of war, with at least one recruit escaping back to Ukrainian lines. In August 2026, Moscow announced the merger of five such units into a 'Ukrainian Volunteer Special Forces Brigade.'

Key Facts

Pavlo Oliynyk, a 25-year-old senior lieutenant from Volyn, was captured on October 1, 2024, near Pokrovsk and later joined the 'Maxim Kryvonos Separate Battalion' to escape captivity.
Russia's 'Bohdan Khmelnytsky Volunteer Battalion' was first reported in early 2023, with its command claiming about 70 members.
In August 2026, Russia announced the merger of five Ukrainian volunteer units into the 'Ukrainian Volunteer Special Forces Brigade.'
The 'Sloboda Detachment named after Voin Selifontov' had no prior public mention before the August 2026 brigade announcement.

Recruitment of Ukrainian POWs

Pavlo Oliynyk, a 25-year-old senior lieutenant from Volyn, was captured by Russian forces on October 1, 2024, near Pokrovsk while serving in the 101st Separate Brigade of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After enduring electric shocks, beatings, and psychological abuse, Oliynyk accepted an offer to join the 'Maxim Kryvonos Separate Battalion.' He escaped to Ukrainian-controlled territory at the first opportunity when taken to the front line.

Structure of Russian Volunteer Units

Russian propaganda first reported on units formed from former Ukrainian soldiers in early 2023, starting with the 'Bohdan Khmelnytsky Volunteer Battalion' under the 'Kaskad' operational combat tactical formation in the so-called 'DPR.' The battalion's command claimed about 70 participants, though only around ten individuals have been identified in videos. In August 2026, Russia announced the merger of five units into the 'Ukrainian Volunteer Special Forces Brigade,' including the Kryvonos battalion, the 'Oleksiy Berest Ukrainian Volunteer Battalion,' the 'Alexander Matrosov Detachment,' the 'Martyn Pushkar Detachment,' and the 'Sloboda Detachment named after Voin Selifontov.' The 'Sloboda Detachment' had no prior public mention, and the other units' social media channels primarily repost Ukrainian news with criticism of the government and emphasis on forced mobilization.