Russian Paratroopers' Mothers Plead For Release

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

The wives and mothers of some of the Russian paratroopers captured in Ukraine have appealed to President Vladimir Putin to help bring them home.

Recording their messages on camera phones, the women pleaded for the men to be returned alive.

They spoke from the office of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, a human rights organisation in Kostroma, the central Russian town where the men are based.

"Dear President, Minister of Defence and commanders," the first woman said. "My child, Yegor Valeryevich Pochtoev, is at the moment in captivity on Ukrainian territory.

"I am begging you in the name of God: give me my child back. Get him back alive and all the other boys who were captured with him.

"My son, boys, we are with you. Guys, we will get you out of this trouble in any case. If the commanders don't help us, we will do it ourselves; your mothers will do it."

Russia says the men crossed the border "by accident"

The mother of Sergei Arkhipov addressed her son: "Serega, we love you, we are waiting for you, we are doing everything we can.

"We are addressing everyone: Please, help us."

The mother of paratrooper Sergei Smirnov tried to speak but broke down in tears and had to ask her husband to make the appeal for her.

"We are asking the President and the Minister of Defence to help to resolve this conflict, so that they would send guys wisely in the future," he said.

"So that everyone would come back alive. Please, help us."

Paratrooper Alexey Generalov's wife sobbed as she said: "Lesha, we love you and wait for you at home. Save them and help us to bring them home alive and in good health.

"I am addressing everyone, all the government, the Minister of Defence and the President. Please, bring them back to us as soon as possible."

The men are apparently being held in the Ukrainian capital Kiev

The 10 paratroopers were detained close to the village of Dzerkalnye, approximately 19 miles (30km) from the Russian border, according to Ukraine's state security service.

Russia's defence ministry says they crossed the border "by accident".

Speaking at a news conference in Kiev on Wednesday, the men repeated their earlier assertion that they had not known they were crossing into Ukraine.

Sergeant Vladimir Savosteyev said: "Only the highest command probably knew what would happen. We didn't know. No one had any idea."

Paratrooper Ivan Romantsev explained: "We are ordinary soldiers and we don't want to fight.

"We are not informed at all. We were sent there. We either got lost or not, we were sent there, we didn't know the way and where we were going.

"And when it all happened - shelling - and when we came to your boys, we realised that it's war indeed. There is a war, but by this time we don't know who runs this war."

A spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council said the men were being held at a pre-trial detention centre in Kiev.

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