A Russian soldier captured by Ukraine has said that he volunteered to join the army with the aim of defecting on the front lines and joining a pro-Ukraine militia.
The soldier, using the callsign Silver, spoke in an interview with the "I Want to Live" Project, a scheme run by Ukranian intelligence for Russian soldiers wishing to defect and avoid fighting in the war.
In the interview, released by the project on social media, Silver describes how he signed up to join the Russian Armed Forces so that he could reach the front lines, where he planned to defect to the Freedom of Russia Legion.
The Freedom of Russia Legion is a pro-Ukraine paramilitary unit of Russian citizens, who oppose the invasion. It was formed in 2022, and largely consists of defectors from Russian forces.
The "I Want to Live" Project said that Silver was assigned to one of the "suicide units," and that "during his service there, he saw enough of all the 'delights' of the Russian army: complete lawlessness, devaluation of human life, lack of training, lack of supplies, sadistic commanders, general resets for the slightest offence."
In the interview, the 24-year-old said that he hopes to outlive Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying: "I was immediately removed from civilian life. It's strange to say, but it's safe for me to be in Ukraine now. I was born, grew up, and worked under Putin. I want to at least die without him."
Silver also said that he attempted to avoid directly attacking Ukrainian troops while he was still fighting on the Russian side, saying: "We practised observations and combat drops, and I tried to stay away from drops during combat, and luckily I didn't have the chance to drop bombs on Ukranians' heads."
Conflict on the front lines in Russia has escalated due to the continued progress of Ukraine's Kursk offensive, which saw Kyiv launch a cross-border raid on August 6, catching Russian forces by surprise.
The offensive marks the first time that foreign troops have seized Russian territory since World War II, with Ukraine claiming to have seized more territory in the Kursk region within days than Russia has captured in Ukraine since the beginning of the year.
Newsweek contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment via email.
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