With the continued Russian invasion of Ukraine, more and more videos of the situation are surfacing online.

One recent video purports to show a group of Russian soldiers that were captured by the Ukrainian military.

The video shows more than a dozen men lined up against a wall, all with their hands tied and their eyes covered. One thing that is noticeable right away is the fact that, other than the uniforms, the men don't look like soldiers at all.

When a member of the Ukrainian military begins to question the captured men, I wasn't surprised to hear that they weren't actually soldiers (most soldiers would be a little younger, leaner, and might not have been captured as easily).

I was, however, surprised when the men told the Ukrainian what they actually did for a living.

All of these men work at schools. One is a French teacher, another organizes workshops for children.

Speculation (in the comments, of course) is that several of these men are Eastern Ukrainians who were "conscripted" into service by the Russians (in other words: drafted).

via Reddit
via Reddit
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It is pointed out (again, in the comments) that more than half of the men in the video spoke fluent Ukrainian, and all of their stories line up: they were told to report for military training. That's it.

Now, let's concentrate on the Ukrainian man who was interrogating (interviewing?) the Russian men.

Does he threaten the men with violence, torture, or, worse yet, death? Does he talk down to them and tell them how disgraceful they are? Spoiler alert: he does not.

He tells them to not be scared. He tells them that they are safe now. He tells them that they will be warm and they will be fed.

I'll probably get some grief for this next part (you know, the part where I say that I would hope we could show the same compassion).

This is how I picture many Cajuns would treat a (military) enemy in a situation like this.

I would like to think that, as Cajuns, we remember our history. We remember that, at one time, our ancestors were set afloat with a "we don't care where you go, but you can't stay here."

I like to think that we, as Cajuns, would recognize the situation that these Russian "soldiers" were put into and have some compassion like the Ukrainian man is showing.

I would like to think that, by the time the Russian men were sent back to their homes and families, they would have fond memories of "being taken care of" by their newfound Cajun friends.

I would like to think that they would go home with their clothes still smelling like roux.

Can you imagine being far away from home, thrown into a situation where you are the (unwilling) aggressor, and then not getting support/direction/supplies from your leaders? And then coming face-to-face with people who are just trying to defend their homeland? I, too, would be scared witless and would be grateful for compassion.

I think that we all want the same thing: to be able to live our lives, with our families, in peace.

Remember, no soldier ever started a war - it's the politicians that make that happen.

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