00:01For the Ukrainians who took him captive,
00:03Evan Kabet's story was unusual enough to post on the brigade's social channels.
00:08I didn't went to Russia for military job.
00:13I went there as a visitor.
00:15They had caught a 35-year-old athlete from Kenya.
00:19That was in July.
00:21Now he is here, in the Soviet-era prison in western Ukraine,
00:25now being used to hold prisoners of war.
00:29Evan Kabet agreed to talk with us, but we cannot verify his story.
00:34During our conversation, it's only our team and a civilian coordinator in the room.
00:39We signed this contract without reading, without knowing what it was on it.
00:46We got ourselves in a situation that there was no return.
00:51He said this summer an agent made him an offer to go to St. Petersburg for a cultural festival
00:57to talk about athletic training and run an exhibition race.
01:02This guy came up before the race and told us I can get you a working permit for one year.
01:10He and three other Kenyan athletes at the festival signed up and handed over their passports.
01:15The next day, they were taken away in a car.
01:18We asked him, where are you taking us?
01:20He told us, I'm taking you where you are going to work.
01:25We tried to tell him why you didn't tell us that it's military work.
01:31He told us, you saw the contract.
01:35We didn't read it.
01:37We don't know how to read the Russian.
01:42They received a week of very basic training.
01:45They show you this is a gun.
01:47This is how you load the magazine.
01:51This is how you pull the trigger.
01:55The Ukrainian authorities have seen increasing numbers of foreigners fighting for Russia.
01:59They come from places including Cuba, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Egypt, China and Nepal.
02:07Part of them were familiar that they will go to the Russian army.
02:11Part of them were tricked by fraudsters.
02:14And part of them already was in Russian territory as students, legal workers or illegal workers.
02:21And they were promised that they will obtain Russian passports in exchange to the signing of these contracts.
02:30A world away, this Kenyan village near the city of Eldoret is where Evan Skibet grew up.
02:36The oldest of seven siblings, he's the family's main breadwinner.
02:41My colleague Felix Moringa went to meet them.
02:45Evan's younger brother Isaac says he's sensitive and thoughtful.
02:49He always cries, be it happiness or sadness.
02:53He always cries.
02:55Instead of beating somebody, maybe he can decide to cry.
03:01And then after crying, he finds himself that he's released from such a thing.
03:08Evan's planned to run in half marathons abroad, hoping prize money could support the family.
03:13Like Kenyan Olympic marathon gold medalist, Iliat Kipchoge, says his mother.
03:18Kipchoge really wanted to run, and that's why he was trying to go for competitions abroad.
03:27And I knew that one day, he would raise our standards of living.
03:33If he ran like Kipchoge, he would have rescued us from poverty the way Kipchoge has rescued his people.
03:43The family now know he is a POW and worry.
03:48When I eat with his siblings, I wonder whether he has eaten, or if he isn't eating, and it gives me a lot of pain.
03:57I'm sorry.
03:58I'm sorry.
04:05Back in Ukraine.
04:06Evan Skibet insists he thought he'd be running a race, not facing the horrors of the front line in Ukraine.
04:12You go like 10 meters, you see a dead body.
04:17You die there, nobody cares about you.
04:20You die like a dog.
04:21He says he escaped during the very first mission.
04:25He got rid of his uniform and gun, and walked until he came across soldiers.
04:30I didn't know if it's Ukrainian soldiers or Russian soldiers.
04:36I called out, I shouted, hey, it's me.
04:43So these guys came out from their camp.
04:47At the prison now, he's stuck in limbo.
04:50Between work and meals, there's nothing to do but wait.
04:54Foreigners don't get special treatment, even if they were duped into joining the Russian army.
04:59They are invaders, they are part of this Russian invaders army, and they are prisoners of war.
05:08And in case their government is not interested, and this is a general case,
05:14so they will be treated well in captivity, but they will be kept until the war ends.
05:21Evan's family is trying to get the Kenyan government to intervene and bring him home before then.
05:26We get permission to set up a call with his brother Isaac back home in Kenya.
05:33Hey.
05:34Yes, brother.
05:35How are you?
05:36I'm fine, brother.
05:37How are you?
05:38I'm fine, brother.
05:39How are you?
05:40How are you?
05:41I'm good.
05:42How are you?
05:43This is tears of joy.
05:46Not that I'm not okay.
05:49Yes, you are.
05:50Yeah, it's good to see you.
05:52How is Ukraine?
05:53How is Ukraine?
05:54It's good.
05:55It's the first time they've spoken since you went to Russia.
05:59How is mom?
06:01Mom, it's okay?
06:03Yes, you have hands.
06:04A moment of comfort in a gray prison cell far from home.
06:09Yes, I have problems Hi.
06:11Ali, don't worry.
06:12Nono, don't worry.
06:13It's good to see you.
06:15I need one.
06:16It's bad to be future at home.
06:18I'm good.
06:19People may see different times, but the7210 simple.
06:25I'm sorry, yeah.
06:30hurdles
06:31Let your use walking force out.
06:33goals, patient, Allen.
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