大象传媒

Most Russians are getting a distorted picture of what Vladimir Putin calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Even the use of the words 鈥渨ar鈥� or 鈥渋nvasion鈥� is prohibited and state controlled TV does not acknowledge that Russian troops are attacking civilians. Yet news is filtering back to thousands of mothers of servicemen in the invasion force. Many say their sons were deceived about their mission and are being treated as cannon fodder. The Russian authorities and military commanders remain tight lipped. But Ukraine has posted pictures and videos of the dead and captured Russian soldiers on the internet. For Assignment, Tim Whewell follows the story of one young prisoner of war. He looked so terrified during an interrogation that a Ukrainian woman took pity on him and helped his family to get in touch, even though her own home in Odessa was shelled by Russian forces. Will the 21 year old soldier ever be able to return to his family and could the truth about Russia鈥檚 defeats and losses change attitudes to the war back home?

Producers: Lucy Ash and Yulia Mineeva

(Image: Pro-Russian service member in an armoured vehicle in the Donetsk region of Ukraine March, 2022. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)