Captured Russians evacuated a wounded Ukrainian border guard on a bicycle

Dmytro, whose call sign is “TRIDE,” was ambushed near Vovchansk, where he was wounded. Russian prisoners of war helped evacuate the Ukrainian border guard by transporting him on a bicycle.

Dmytro served in the 11th Border Guard Detachment. During one of his combat missions, he and a fellow soldier arrived at a designated point, where they came under enemy fire.

“We reached the designated point. We started assessing the situation when suddenly several Kalashnikovs opened fire on us. It was an ambush. We took a real beating, but thank God, we both survived,” he told “TRIDE.”

They managed to drive the enemy off. The soldier had a tourniquet applied to his leg to stop the bleeding. A strike-and-search team was sent out to find Dmytro, since the position was about 25 km away and he couldn’t make it out on his own.

“The guys who came for me took two Russians prisoner. One was older, and the other was maybe around 30—his name was Ivan. We fed them, shared our water and cigarettes with them. We treated them like human beings. To be honest, it was hard. After close-quarters combat and the loss of my comrades, I felt completely drained inside. But I understood that prisoners of war are protected by international law, and we, as civilized people, must abide by it,” the defender recalled.

When the situation in the sky allowed us to begin the evacuation, two prisoners of war offered to help carry out the wounded man.

“I saw right through them. There was no empathy or gratitude on their part. Their instinct for self-preservation simply kicked in. After all, we were in the very depths of hell. Our position was a major nuisance to the Russians, so they didn’t leave us alone for even an hour. There were wounded every day. Every day there were casualties. They understood perfectly well that their only chance to survive was to join the evacuation,” Dmytro noted.

One of the prisoners was carrying a border guard’s gear; another, named Ivan, was carrying Dmytro’s own gear.

“He was physically strong. Sturdy,” Dmytro says, closing his eyes. “We talked the whole way. He told me he was a contract soldier and had gone to war to make money. He spoke about it with pride. With gusto. He said he’d made a bold choice and didn’t regret it,” the soldier recounted.

During the evacuation, the prisoner collapsed several times, but continued to carry the wounded man.

“I told him, ‘Leave me behind. You can’t walk anymore.’ But he stubbornly kept muttering that he’d get me to his people. At one point, I even thought he might be a decent person, but I pushed that thought aside because his contract is a contract to kill, and mine is to defend the Motherland,” he told “TRIDE.”

About halfway along the route, they found an old bicycle in the woods. With its help, they were able to get Dmytro to the Ukrainian positions more quickly.

Before parting ways, the Russian prisoner told the border guard that after the exchange, he planned to return to the war.

“He looked me in the eye, smiled, and said we’d meet again. He said that after the exchange, he’d go back to fight because he needed money. He thought this statement would shock me. But he was wrong. I was expecting something like that. So I calmly looked right through him and replied that I would look forward to that meeting,” Dmytro said.

In September 2026, “TRIDE” continues to undergo rehabilitation at one of the State Border Guard Service’s sanatoriums. According to the soldier, he is striving to recover as quickly as possible, since his comrades continue to carry out combat missions.

His story was shared by the State Border Guard Service.

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