"There are no ordinary people here, only prisoners of war"

A conversation between a translator and a POW on Ukraine's front lines

Vignettes is our weekly cabinet of curiosities. Here you’ll find unexpected facts, intimate portraits of interesting people, interviews and more.

Vignettes is for paid subscribers—thank you for your support! If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, what are you waiting for?

This week we’re launching a special series on the experiences of soldiers on the front line of the war in Ukraine. Our goal is to offer a window into how regular people are managing their daily lives as this conflict drags on. We believe these stories are also critical for a serious understanding of what is unfolding in Ukraine.

---

All photographs are by photographer, AG.

A conversation between Pavlo Rybaruk and Vladimir Nedozhogin in a Russian POW camp in Ukraine

In 2024, Ukrainian war journalist and local producer Pavlo Rybaruk and photographer AG went together to a Russian POW camp in Western Ukraine. They wandered the grey prison on what Pavlo describes as “a weird, wild hunt for conversations with people that don't want to talk.” Most of their interviews went as one might expect. The prisoners nodded when asked if they were treated well, said that they hated Putin and that they were against the war. Some of them even emphasized that they had no desire to ever return to Russia.

But then the unexpected occurred. Pavlo and AG entered a room for disabled POWs with amputations, the space reeked of wounds. Pavlo began chatting with 37-year-old prisoner of war, Vladimir Nedozhogin. Nedozhogin, whose foot had been amputated, is from Volgograd, formerly-Stalingrad, a proponent of Putin’s war. As he confronted the Ukrainian, a conversation began to unfold that was far from ordinary.

Two men, one a Ukrainian interested in music, history and art, the other a prisoner of war who openly takes the side of Putin and of Russia. Two men on different sides of this war began a brutally honest, wide-ranging dialogue about the war, imperialism and what counts as truth, all the while standing in a prison in the middle of Ukraine. What follows is a transcript of their conversations, as well as AG’s photos of the prison.

—Kira Brunner Don, Editor in Chief

Pavlo Rybaruk: How did you become part of the Russian army?

Vladimir Nedozhogin: I signed a contract in January 2024 and on February 29 I was captured. I served a little less than a month.

Pavlo: How were you captured?

Vladimir: We went on a mission, we came under fire. I didn't know which way to go. There was artillery shelling for five days. We reached the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I was wounded and had frostbite. This is a 4th degree frostbite amputation. [Part of his foot was amputated]

Pavlo: Where are you from?

Vladimir: Volgograd.

Pavlo: What were you doing before?

Vladimir: Cleaning business.

Pavlo: Why did you sign the contract to fight?

Vladimir: Patriotism.

Pavlo: What do you think motivates this war?

Vladimir: Honestly? Obviously not people. Money. Every war is about money.

Pavlo: Is Russia an aggressor?