The man noticed that he still did not consider himself a mercenary.

Captured 23-year-old Russian occupier Maksim Khodary frankly admitted that he had come to kill Ukrainians for money and an apartment.
He spoke about this in an interview with Ukrainian blogger and journalist Vladimir Zolkin.
According to the invader, he went to war because he was sure that “nationalism is flourishing” in Ukraine. However, after some time, the occupant let it slip, which in fact was the purpose of his arrival in Ukraine.
Occupant : There was an order, I followed it.
Zolkin : Are you a military man? What are you serving?
Occupant : Well, in fact, for money, for an apartment.
Zolkin : So you are a mercenary who came to a foreign country to fight for money?
Occupant : No, I joined the army. Fought on orders. I don’t know how to say it.
As UNIAN reported earlier, occupant Yaroslav Neshchenko, who was captured by Ukrainian defenders during one of the battles, said that he was allegedly lured to the front in Ukraine by deceit.
(C)UNIAN 2022

“No, I joined the army. Fought on orders. I don’t know how to say it.”
Quite easy, I am a russian cockroach who wanted to carry out genocide against Ukrainians for an apartment. That makes you a mercenary, you have no rights at all under the Geneva convention.
If he was a member of the Russian Army he is not a mercenary under international law. The men who joined the Ukrainian Army and are foreigners are not mercenaries under international law either, even if Putin’s orcs want to say so.
Occupant doesn’t exactly say what “army” he joined.
The cockroach can thank his lucky stars that he’s a POW with the Ukrainians and not sitting in a filthy trench, being eaten by flies, mosquitos, fleas and lice … or ended up inside a mobile crematory or a hungry dog.