‘Just scum with selfish motives’ – Russian ex-convict on Moscow’s army

A former Russian prisoner of war who went to war claims that most soldiers are motivated by money and that war has become a profitable business. He tells the state project “I want to live.” (Хочу Жить!)

According to the former prisoner, he has not met a single patriot who said, “I went to war because I am a patriot of Russia.” Everyone goes to war for money, and for some, war has actually become a profitable business:

“For the commanders, war is incredibly lucrative. They make good money out of it with bribes and casualties. There are guys who give up their entire salary and don’t even attack,” the man says in the interview with “I Want to Live.”

He served four times and explains that he joined the war to shorten his prison sentence. He initially hoped to avoid the front lines, but when he arrived at “Storm-Z” he realized that he had to escape at the first opportunity. Now, as a deserter safely in Ukraine, he shares his impressions of the current Russian army:

“They are all drug addicts and alcoholics… Just scum with selfish motives: to make money, eliminate someone or cheat others… There is no trust among them. Everyone is out for themselves!”

The “I Want to Live” (Хочу Жить!) project was launched by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) and aimed to help Russian soldiers safely surrender to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and save their lives.

Other interesting topics

UN reports more evidence of Ukrainians tortured by Russian authorities

The independent commission’s investigation revealed widespread, systematic torture against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war, both in the occupied territories and in the Russian Federation.

Discontent is growing among Russian troops as they are increasingly being given unrealistic targets and sent on unnecessarily dangerous missions by their commanders. In several conversations recently intercepted by Ukraine’s military intelligence service, individuals discuss ways to avoid further deployment, and the civilian population is panicking over fear of being drafted.

Last year, Kyiv Post interviewed Maria (last name withheld), who works for Ukrainian intelligence as a professional eavesdropper, and she told of some shocking things she heard.

Russia regularly denies the content of the intercepted telephone conversations published by Ukraine, claiming that they are fake, a claim Maria denies.

She said, “Yes, they are all real, even though they may seem crazy. Sometimes I can’t believe the words I hear myself, but we have what we have.”

In another intercepted phone call, published by the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (HUR) on May 14, a Russian commander threatened a soldier that barrier troops would kill him and his comrades if they refused to launch an attack in the Kharkov region.

Follow these links for other examples:

‘We bury them there’ – Russian on Moscow’s tactics to avoid paying for fallen soldiers

‘Kiev was never bombed and Russians are dying’ – Russian woman complains about Kremlin

‘What are you bragging about?’ – Russian soldier’s wife slams Kremlin for displaying captured weapons

‘Half a battalion escaped into the forest’ – Russian soldier accused of mass refusal to fight

‘The attack failed, everyone was killed’ – Russian soldier reveals horrific losses, possibly at Avdiivka

‘150,000 men to be deployed’ – Russian soldier reveals fears of ‘huge’ Ukrainian Crimea Liberation Force

‘We lost 600 men’ – Russian reveals horrific losses and behaviour on the front lines

‘All our boys were slaughtered’ – Intercepted phone calls suggest huge Russian losses

‘He started shooting at us!’ – Intercepted phone call reveals Russian friendly fire incident