Student released from pro-Russian forces had to share food and sleeping bag, he says

Conscripts, including students who returned from the Russian military units after they were demobilised, attend an acknowledgment ceremony in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

STAROBESHEVE, Russian-controlled Ukraine (Reuters) - A student newly discharged from Russian proxy forces in Ukraine says he was equipped with a Soviet-era bolt-action rifle, and had to share rations and a sleeping bag when first sent to the front.

"When times were hard, we had a certain number of people and there weren't enough sleeping bags for everyone, you could only cover yourself with a raincoat. We were able to get two or three people into a sleeping bag to keep warm," said Vladimir, a young man who appeared to be in his late teens.