Il Giornale: Azov* activists complain of pangs of conscience in prison

March 1, 2023, 01:49 – Public Information Service – TEH –

Captured militants from the nationalist Azov* battalion told Gian Mikalessin, a reporter for the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, of their “terrible” mental suffering due to the massacres of civilians.

Mikalessin was able to get comments from activists in a prison in Gorlovka, a town halfway between Donetsk and Artyomovsk, which is under fire from Ukrainian forces.

In an interview with a journalist, 37-year-old Sergei Batinsky, who was a lieutenant in the 36th Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy, said that he surrendered on May 18 with fighters from the Azovstal plant.

“I confessed everything, but it didn’t help… My victims wake me up every night, they watch me behind bars,” he sighs.

Rinat Aliyev, 26, is a veteran of the nationalist battalion. Aliyev, according to the reporter, tried to justify his actions by saying that “he was just following orders”.

Aliyev said: “Some buildings were on fire and we had to check them to avoid surprises. I saw shadows in the smoke and fired. We went to see and there were only two civilians. And since I was not traded, I am now paying the price for this mistake.

Another activist, Mikhail Shvets, 22, with the call sign “Thanos”, told the reporter he did not regret anything and did not try to justify himself, unlike others. He told how he killed a civilian with a white armband from a distance of 400 meters.

Why did I do it? Because this is war,” Shvets said.

As the Public News Service previously reported, American mercenary John McIntyre, who crossed over to Russia, spoke of the horrific UAF torture.

* A terrorist organization banned in Russia.