A Jewish Russian soldier has fallen captive at the hands of the Ukrainian military, marking the first such incident since the start of the Russian invasion of its neighbor back in February.
Private Sergei H, a 31-year-old man from Saint Petersburg, was drafted as a reservist following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order meant to bolster Russia's forces in Ukraine.
Sergei had no specialized role in the Russian army, and was taken captive in the city of Lyman, in the Donetsk region, after the Ukrainian army had retaken it from the Russians.
According to the “Detaly” news website, nearly all of Sergei’s company was taken out, while the unit's commander escaped to Luhansk. Sergei survived the Ukrainian assault and was captured on October 1. He was questioned by Ukrainian forces, who contacted his sister, Esther, an Israeli citizen who lives in Jerusalem.
A video recording of Sergei was sent to her by the Ukrainian military to prove his health and wellbeing.
Sergei’s sister immigrated to Israel in April 2022. He has another sister living in Finland, while their mother passed away in Saint Petersburg less than a year ago. Esther said she participated in a Jewish educational project in Saint Petersburg headed the city’s synagogue before she immigrated to Israel.
The family’s Jewish grandfather moved from Stalingrad to Berlin with his brother during World War II, and their grandmother survived the siege of Leningrad.
Sergei did not receive higher education and worked in construction. His sister offered him to join her at Saint Petersburg's synagogue, but he refused. The sister also said she appealed to Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman, asking him to help her brother.
Azman said that during a meeting he held with Ukrainian military officials on the eve of Sukkot, he offered to take custody of any Jewish soldier taken captive by Ukrainian forces during the war, and that the officials agreed to his offer.
Azman also recorded a video where he addresses Russia’s Jewish community, calling on them to refuse Putin’s draft orders to avoid participating in killings and war crimes against Ukrainians.
In the video, he also talked to Jewish soldiers who were already drafted, telling them they will be protected in Ukraine. “Our holy Torah forbids Jews from participating in any crimes meant to kill people,” he said in the video.
Detaly journalist Shimon Breeman said that Azman hopes to meet with Sergei during Sukkot. “According to my information, this is the first time a Jewish Russian soldier has been taken captive,” he said. “Thousands of Russian soldiers were captured, but he was the first who held documents proving his Jewish descent, with a relative living in Israel.”
He added: “Sergei isn’t religious, but him and his sister are Jewish through their mother’s side. He has no Jewish education. His sister became more religious, and is currently living in a Haredi neighborhood near Jerusalem. It was difficult speaking with her, she's in a complex mental state and needs assistance.”