Now on Substack | If you haven’t seen our documentary “Captured: Why They Fought for Russia”, it’s worth a watch.

In the film, Aiden Aslin and I visit a Ukrainian POW camp holding Russian soldiers and foreign fighters. We adhered strictly to the Geneva Conventions, invited by the Ministry of Defence and determined not to repeat the treatment we received during our captivity.

Instead, we asked them the questions many people never hear answered.

Why did they come? Why fight for Russia? Why travel from different countries to join this war?

Some speak openly about money, ideology, or pressure. Others simply want to go home. But for many, that possibility remains uncertain.

The documentary offers a rare look behind the walls of detention facilities, a side of modern war that is almost never shown.

But Captured is also about survival.

From the siege of Mariupol to prisoner exchange, it reflects on what captivity means, the cost of war, and the strange reality that even enemies remain human.

War does not end when the fighting stops.

Sometimes, it continues behind the wire.

Watch here 👇