Mike Duncan

True War Crime is a podcast by Michael Duncan, a journalist and war veteran. He is documenting the stories of Ukrainians who survived Russian captivity.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

@StephenKing The one that cuts pleasing games with Russia.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

Cabbage and two small pieces of bread.

Maksym Levchenko recalls that during his first month in Taganrog, this was essentially what prisoners survived on.

Bread became their salvation. Even the crust was so valuable that the prisoners took turns deciding who would get it each time.

In captivity, something as ordinary as a piece of bread could become the most precious part of the day.

#TrueWarCrime #Russia #Ukraine #POW #HumanRights

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“This system didn’t appear yesterday.”

Anastasiia Savova believes the way Russia treats prisoners today has deep historical roots in the Soviet Gulag system.

The methods may have evolved, but the legacy remains.

#TrueWarCrime #Russia #Ukraine #Gulag #HumanRights

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

@OstapYarysh @RealAlexJones @PLnewstoday Thanx for sharing this story! We were happy to find out that Steven was released. There were 3 Ukrainian POW’s who mentioned him in our interviews. We hope that more US citizens will find out about reality of Russian captivity through the story’s of those who was released.

[Ostap Yarysh @OstapYarysh]

‼️ NEW: The prison administration at the Russian facility where American civilian Stephen Hubbard was held used the prison’s loudspeaker system to broadcast recordings of @RealAlexJones, @PLnewstoday, and other Western bloggers on a daily basis, according to Ukrainian POWs who were held at the same colony No. 7 in Pakino as Hubbard.

The recordings were in English with Russian voice-over translations, and were broadcast along other Russian propaganda content. In effect, Russian prison authorities were using content from Alex Jones and Patrick Lancaster as part of their brainwashing campaign of POWs and as a tool of both physical and psychological torture.

Former Ukrainian POW Arslan Annaiev who met Hubbard in prison also described how the Russians treated him:

“Stephen Hubbard really disliked injections. When they took him out into the corridor and injected him with something, he would yell, "I don't like this! I don't like this! What are you injecting me with?”

He begged the guards to call someone from the embassy. While I was there, he knocked on the door. An operative came in, and James asked him to contact diplomats. They told him they had no influence over it. They just brushed him off.

They took away all his personal belongings. He begged: “At least give me a Bible!”, but they refused. He complained that he only heard Russian and Ukrainian around him. It was driving him crazy. He had no one to speak English with. He felt absolutely alone, and he just wanted to read a Bible. The Russians didn't even give him that.”

Kudos to Michael Duncan and his @truewarcrime project for uncovering this story - please give him a follow. More Western media should be talking about this.

Watch ⬇️

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“They forced us to learn the Russian national anthem.”
Maksym Levchenko recalls how Ukrainian POWs were made to memorize and sing Russia’s anthem in captivity.
What he couldn’t understand was why. What purpose could forcing prisoners to learn their captor’s anthem possibly serve?

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

Maksym Levchenko remembers the smell of alcohol on the Russian guards during the brutal prison “reception.”

In his view, if there were any traces of humanity left inside them, they tried to drown them in vodka—to make themselves capable of becoming as brutal as possible.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“What did you do before the war?”

Maksym Levchenko answered honestly: kickboxing.

For the Russian guard, that became another excuse for violence. Maksym recalls that after hearing his answer, the guard decided to kick him in the head several times.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

He could hear the beatings before it was his turn.

Maksym Levchenko recalls arriving at his first Russian prison colony in the last vehicle of the convoy. As the first prisoners were taken inside, he could hear what was happening to them—and knew he would soon face the same.

[Barak Ravid @BarakRavid]

🇺🇸🇺🇦🇳🇴White House envoy @SteveWitkoff is traveling now to Oslo for a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky on Tuesday, a U.S. official said
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇳🇴The Oslo discussions are expected to include President Zelensky, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, representatives of the E4, the European Union, and NATO. The objective is to continue aligning on a comprehensive proposal that can form the basis for renewed negotiations with Russia
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺The U.S. official said that following Oslo, Witkoff is also planning to travel to Russia, where he hopes to meet with President Putin and present ideas developed in close consultation with Ukraine and European partners
🇺🇸Jared Kushner has the flu and is not attending in-person in the Oslo meeting so as to not get others sick, but he will participate virtually, the U.S. official said
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺The planned meetings in Oslo build on the discussions held at Shell Bay, where President Zelensky committed to reviewing and advancing a series of proposals aimed at creating a pathway toward a comprehensive and durable peace agreement, the U.S. official added
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺The U.S. official noted that over the past week, American, Ukrainian, and European representatives have been working closely at the technical level to develop these proposals.
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺"Steve and Jared also spoke with President Zelensky on Sunday to review progress and discuss next steps", the U.S. official said
🇺🇸🇷🇺The trip is also expected to include efforts to seek the release of wrongfully detained American citizen Hubbard, reflecting President Trump’s continued commitment to bringing Americans home, the U.S. official said
🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦"President Trump has directed an intensive process to develop a comprehensive peace proposal with Ukraine and Europe, and the next step is to test whether that work can form the basis for serious negotiations with Russia", the U.S. official said.
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺The U.S. official added: "These discussions remain fluid, and substantial work remains. President Trump’s objective is clear: to end the killing, bring the war to a close, and establish the conditions for a lasting peace that benefits Ukraine, Russia, Europe, and the United States"

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

@BarakRavid @SteveWitkoff Steven must be released!
We heard his story from a Ukrainian POW.

https://t.co/CNE9jioWkg

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

It wasn’t just a ring.

Maksym Levchenko recalls how a Russian guard took away a ring his father had given him—a deeply personal object Maksym considered his guardian angel.

In captivity, even the smallest connection to home and family could be taken away.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“They told us everything would be fine.”

Maksym Levchenko recalls that representatives of the Red Cross were present when the Mariupol defenders entered captivity and gave them assurances about what would follow.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“They promised humane conditions in captivity.”

Maksym Levchenko recalls that Russian assurances about proper treatment of prisoners were one of the factors behind the Mariupol defenders’ decision to follow the order of Ukraine’s military command and lay down their arms.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

After 13 months in captivity, Maksym Levchenko came home—and felt almost nothing.

During his first days of freedom, even when his mother walked into his hospital room crying, Maksym couldn’t understand why she was so emotional.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“I would never force Russian POWs to sing the Ukrainian anthem. It is sacred to us.”

Dmytro Melnyk contrasts this with what he experienced in Russian captivity, where prisoners were forced to sing the Russian anthem as a form of humiliation and psychological pressure.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“The worst day of my captivity was the prison reception in Horlivka.”

Dmytro Melnyk recalls brutal beatings as prisoners were brought in. Even declaring support for Russia offered no protection—he remembers a man saying he was pro-Russian and being beaten anyway.

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

Kickboxing helped Maksym Levchenko endure the beatings in Russian captivity—but even his training had limits.

In Taganrog, he says he was beaten unconscious several times. Eventually, Maksym changed his strategy: instead of trying to withstand everything, he began exaggerating

[Mike Duncan @truewarcrime]

“If Russia took Ukraine, it wouldn’t stop there.”

From conversations he heard among Russian guards, Dmytro Melnyk came to believe that Poland, the Baltic states, and other European countries could be next.