What a bull****
I personally regard the Russians as the good guys in this war: Chechnya is basically like a hardcore version of Afghanistan in terms of how medieval the society and customs are. It is barbaric, and there is no mercy shown to those who fall into the hands of the Chechens. The most gruesome forms of torture and death await them.
This is from the user comments (actually the only one).
Ethnic Discord - Russian POW Is 'Adopted' by His Captors in Chechnya - Wounded in Grozny assault, Sergei Sofronov, 19, is nursed back to health and taken into home. But he is not free to leave.
By MATT BIVENS, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES|February 28, 1995
STARY ATAGI, Russia — Is he a prisoner in a horrible war? Or a valued house guest? Or a mascot that everybody loves and pities?
Sergei Sofronov, 19, is all three. He is also a husband and the father of a 14-month-old son, and once a tank driver in the Russian army, although he looks far too young to be any of these.
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-02-28/news/wr-36872_1_russian-army
Yeah, absolutely "no mercy", "most gruesome forms of torture and death", etc. And "the good guys in this war" - the oh-so un-barbaric, mercyful Russians - would totally 'adopt' into a countryside village a Chechen fighter who was wounded and captured by them during the most fierce fighting in the Russian capital city (when thousands of local civilians were killed), too, right? No? The Russian customs not "barbaric" enough? share