'I am fighting a noble fight': Why some Russians have vowed to resist Putin's invasion of Ukraine - CNN

Dolyna, Ukraine CNN  — 

A worker successful a Ukrainian azygous morosely contemplates the ruins of an Orthodox monastery successful Ukraine’s eastbound Donetsk region.

“This is simply a effect of Putin’s war,” helium says, angrily, arsenic helium paces done the wreck. “As a Christian, this is precise violative to me.”

The soldier, whose sanction CNN agreed not to uncover to support his identity, goes by the call-sign “Caesar.” He is 1 of hundreds, if not thousands, warring to support the municipality of Bakhmut, the existent epicenter of the war, successful Ukrainian hands.

But there’s 1 happening that sets him isolated from astir of those who stock the aforesaid goal: he’s Russian.

“From the archetypal time of the war, my heart, the bosom of a existent Russian man, a existent Christian, told maine that I had to beryllium present to support the radical of Ukraine,” Caesar explains. “We are present warring successful the Bakhmut direction, this is the hottest portion of the front.”

Few, if any, buildings of the eastbound Ukrainian municipality person been spared by the unending artillery barrages fired from broadside to side. Many of the structures person been wholly destroyed, others near uninhabitable with collapsed sections, successful apocalyptic scenes reminiscent of the battered metropolis of Mariupol, captured by Russia earlier successful the war.

“After the (Russian) mobilization (in September), Putin threw each his forces (at Bakhmut) successful bid to execute a breaking constituent successful the war, but we are putting up a fierce antiaircraft fight,” Caesar says.

Much of Ukraine’s resisting unit has had to hunker down successful muddy trenches, warring bony and nail to contradict Russian forces a triumph they desperately crave.

“The warring is precise brutal now,” Caesar explains.

A fewer miles distant from the battle, but inactive successful earshot of the changeless thuds and explosions, Caesar’s committedness is unflinching and helium does not regret his determination to articulation Ukraine’s overseas legion.

While the impulse to motion up came aboriginal connected successful the conflict, helium could lone permission his location country, with his adjacent family, and articulation the Ukrainian subject successful the summer.

“It was a precise hard process,” helium says. “It took maine respective months to yet articulation the ranks of the defenders of Ukraine.”

Now with his household successful Ukraine – wherever helium considers them to beryllium safer – Caesar says helium is 1 of astir 200 Russian citizens presently warring alongside Ukrainian forces, against their ain country’s armies. CNN has not been capable independently to corroborate this number.

In Caesar’s view, Moscow’s forces are not existent Russians.

“Yes, I termination my countrymen, but they person go criminals,” helium explains. “They came to a overseas onshore to rob and termination and destroy. They termination civilians, children and women.”

“I person to face this,” helium added.

Caesar is simply a self-confessed hostile of what helium says is simply a “tyrannical regime” headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, not conscionable successful Ukraine but besides wrong his ain country. And successful his confrontation of the war, helium has had to sprout astatine slightest 15 Russian soldiers connected the battlefield, helium claims.

They are lives helium did not pity and killings helium does not regret, helium says.

“I americium warring a noble combat and I americium doing my subject and Christian duty; I americium defending the Ukrainian people,” Caesar says. “And erstwhile Ukraine is free, I volition transportation my sword to Russia to escaped it from tyranny.”

Caesar’s ideological thrust is not the lone crushed immoderate Russians person chosen to broadside with Ukrainians connected the battlefield. For galore the information lies person to the heart.

“Silent,” the call-sign of different Russian worker whose afloat sanction CNN is not disclosing for his safety, was visiting Ukraine erstwhile Russian missiles and artillery shells started landing successful its towns and cities connected February 24.

“I came to Ukraine astatine the opening of February to sojourn my relatives. I stayed present and warfare started,” Silent says.

He says helium joined the Ukrainian subject soon aft helium saw the atrocities perpetrated by Russian soldiers successful the suburbs of Bucha, Irpin and Borodianka, conscionable extracurricular the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Evidence of wide graves and civilian executions successful those areas emerged pursuing the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv portion successful aboriginal April.

Russia has antecedently denied allegations of warfare crimes and claimed its forces bash not people civilians, contempt extended grounds gathered by planetary quality rights experts, transgression investigators and planetary media successful aggregate locations.

“I was conscionable extracurricular Kyiv, not acold from those places, and erstwhile they were kicked retired of that territory, we went determination to assistance radical and saw what they had done,” Silent says. “Dead bodies, children, women, executions … When you spot it successful idiosyncratic … of people everything wrong turned upside down.”

He adds: “I decided to enactment present until the extremity and articulation the legion.”

Silent says his champion person has precocious been forcibly mobilized into Russia’s service backmost home. Silent says they’ve discussed the terrifying information that it’s conceivable they could extremity up connected other sides connected a Ukrainian battlefield.

“It’s weird that that could hap – particularly arsenic helium wants to permission Russia and wants to travel to combat with maine against Putin’s service successful Ukraine. We’re trying to get him retired but he’s being held by the Russian army,” says Silent.

His family, similar galore successful Russia and Ukraine, has roots successful some countries. His woman and 2 children are present surviving with him successful Ukraine but different relatives stay successful Russia. Silent says that though they person stayed behind, they spot done Putin’s propaganda connected the war, inactive described arsenic a “special subject operation” by the Kremlin.

“They recognize what is going on: Russia invaded Ukraine,” helium says, adding that his relatives were not aggravated with him. “They cognize my character, that if I person made a decision, I volition enactment until the end.

“They told maine to enactment safe.”

Another soldier, who goes by the call-sign “Vinnie,” insists connected covering his look with a balaclava, fearing that the Kremlin’s agelong limb mightiness effort to scope him successful Ukraine.

“My household is not present with maine close now,” helium explains. He says helium is warring for them and for their future, but inactive fears what Moscow’s information apparatus mightiness bash to them.

“My children, my wife, who I emotion precise much, they’re my everything, my full life,” helium says, with a sparkle successful his eyes and a grin that tin beryllium detected done the cloth covering his face.

“If I amusement my look … I interest astir them, due to the fact that there’ll beryllium nary 1 to support them,” helium adds.

It’s 1 of the added risks for Russian citizens risking their lives for Ukraine, but not the lone one. Russian soldiers warring for Ukraine could look tougher consequences than their Ukrainian counterparts if they’re captured by the enemy.

Last month, a worker who deserted the Russian mercenary radical Wagner and crossed onto the Ukrainian side, Yevgeny Nuzhin, was brutally murdered with a sledgehammer aft helium went backmost to Russia.

His execution was applauded by the caput of the group, Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. Without straight acknowledging that Wagner fighters had carried retired the murder, Prigozhin said: “Nuzhin betrayed his people, betrayed his comrades, betrayed them consciously. He was not taken prisoner, nor did helium surrender. Rather, helium planned his escape. Nuzhin is simply a traitor.”

This benignant of illustration is wherefore Vinnie is definite of what volition await him should helium beryllium captured.

“There won’t beryllium an speech for sure. It volition beryllium the end, 100%,” helium says. “It volition conscionable beryllium much painful.”

But symptom and decease are not a portion of this unit’s lexicon, adjacent arsenic they look overwhelming likelihood successful Bakhmut.

Russia has been trying to seizure the municipality for months and has thrown ample numbers of men astatine Ukrainian defenses successful an effort to interruption them. But they haven’t breached Vinnie.

“I americium defending the country, I americium defending homes, women, children, radical who cannot support themselves,” helium says. “My conscience is perfectly clear.”

Caesar, lasting amid the remains of the Orthodox monastery, is arsenic defiant, saying not adjacent the imaginable of decision volition marque him waver.

“I volition enactment present portion my bosom volition beats. I volition combat to support Ukraine,” helium says.

“And erstwhile we person defended Ukraine I volition liberate my country.”