“This is not Iran. This is Russia. You must go to war.”

Arash Darbandi came to Russia as a civilian photographer. He ended up on the front line in Ukraine.

In this POW interview, Arash describes how foreign nationals are coerced, isolated, and sent into combat with little training—and what happened when his unit was hit by a drone.

Recorded voluntarily.
English voiceover added.

This is one story among many that contradict the recruitment ads aimed at foreigners.