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Russian defectors«In war there are not only brave people»
In the hard-fought Donbass, the Russian partial mobilization is making itself felt: More Russian soldiers are coming here now – including those who are surrendering.
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- Ann Guenter
(aus Kramatorsk, Donbass )
From the Lyman Front: Soldiers from the pro-Russian separatist areas surrendered Friday morning. In the video, they are asked where they are from.
Bataillon Dnjpro1
“We kill a lot of them. But they’re just not getting any less,” says Artur L.*, combat name “Starschena” (“Sergeant”). The sergeant of a battalion of the Ukrainian national guard speaks of the current replenishment of Russian soldiers in the Donbass – a region that, at a good 60,000 square kilometers, is larger than the whole of Switzerland, but only makes up a good nine percent of Ukraine.
The complete conquest of this coal and industrial area is one of Moscow’s most important war aims. Accordingly, the announced partial Russian mobilization is already making itself felt here.
“They hide in the woods or villages”
According to Artur, the will to fight of the new, badly trained soldiers is not the best. “It is now increasingly the case that we find Russians in the Donbass hiding in the forests or recaptured villages and surrendering,” says Artur. “They wave a white flag and have laid down their arms.”
There are differences: In the city of Bachmut, which is strategically important for both sides and is currently particularly hard-fought, it is mainly the mercenaries of the notorious Wagner group who are deployed. These are currently sending former Russian prisoners to the front lines – some of whom would rather surrender to Ukrainian troops than end up as cannon fodder.
“We have great respect for the supply of Russian soldiers”
These leaflets are circulating everywhere in the Donbass: Ukrainian instructions on how to surrender “properly” to enemy soldiers.
ZVG
According to Artur, there are even cases where Russians would join the Ukrainians while still in Russia itself. “They contact us and provide evidence that they are on our side.” Like so many things in war, this cannot be verified.
Artur L. alias «Starschena»
In Lyman, further north-west, which is also heavily fought over, mainly pro-Russian separatists and Chechens are deployed. “They have now received reinforcements from Russian soldiers,” says Artur. “We have great respect for this supply.”
But the supply of Russian soldiers also has something positive: “The separatists are worth nothing when it comes to prisoner exchanges – the Russian and Chechen fighters, on the other hand, are, they are expensive.” However, many Russian prisoners of war would resist an exchange: “They know that they are considered deserters and traitors at home and are going to prison.”
“Your ticket to a new life”
According to Artur, it even happens that prisoners of war pass on important information, buy their ransom and join Ukrainian volunteer groups in order to fight once morest their compatriots from then on. “It’s your ticket to a new life.”
Since Russia declared partial mobilization, there have even been cases where Russians would join the Ukrainians while still in Russia itself. “They contact us and provide evidence that they are on our side,” says Artur.
«In war there are not only brave people»
“Such deals run through our intelligence service – they are extremely risky for both sides.” None of this can be checked independently, it might also be a narrative of Ukrainian war propaganda.
Do Ukrainian soldiers also voluntarily surrender to the Russians? “That’s hard to accept,” said a colleague of Artur’s. “In war there are not only brave people.”
20 minutes in Ukraine
20 Minutes is back in Ukraine, for the third time since Moscow’s war of aggression once morest the neighboring country. How does the country look following more than half a year of war? What are people feeling and experiencing today? What is the situation in the cities on the fronts, for example in Donbass? And what do the people say who like in Issum or Balakeja lived under Russian occupation and whose towns and villages have just been recaptured? Even if 20 minutes each with members of the Ukrainian army and the national guard speaks, we are and have always been independent and not «embedded».
Shortly before the start of the war on February 24, 20 minutes was in the Ukraine to talk regarding the growing fear of war and the preparations report to the civilian population. We traveled to the (then still Ukrainian areas) of the Donbass and pursued finally, how the megacity of Kyiv turned into a ghost town within 24 hours. In early summer, 20 minutes returned, spoke with the mayor of Kiev They welcomed KlitschkOh and Ukrainians regarding the Russian President Vladimir Putin, visited a occupied by Russian units in the Kiev suburb of Hostomel Swiss glass factory and drove into the contested Charkiw. Since a visit to the Russian Federation is not possible due to the restrictions imposed by foreign media, the Russian side cannot be illuminated. (Ann Guenter)
