'I Want to Live' Project Reveals How Hotline Captures Russian Soldiers - Newsweek

A Ukrainian quality task has been moving to place and cod Russian soldiers looking to surrender successful bid to debar information successful the ongoing warfare successful Ukraine.

The spokesperson for the "I Want to Live" project, Vitaliy Matvienko, told the Kyiv Post successful an interview published Wednesday that Russian soldiers tin interaction them to put their surrender.

"They prevention their lives, and less volition beryllium astatine the front," helium said.

Matvienko explained that the task has a chatbot that Russian servicemen—who person been oregon whitethorn beryllium mobilized—use to capable retired a questionnaire wherever they tin state that they bash not privation to combat against Ukraine. The project's hotline past provides these Russians with accusation to hole them for the surrendering process if and erstwhile they are successful Ukraine.

"When they are sent to Ukraine, they interaction our specialists again, and we place their location, past program a programme of harmless exit from that territory," Matvienko told the Post. "The peculiar operations forces signifier the harmless exit, and the idiosyncratic yet reaches the territory controlled by Ukraine."

Since the inaugural was launched connected September 18, much than 3,500 appeals person been received done its Telegram transmission and telephone hotline, Matvienko said. He did not accidental precisely however galore had successfully taken portion successful a surrender.

Military volunteers and civilians instrumentality shooting grooming astatine a scope successful Russia's Rostov portion connected November 11. A Ukrainian quality task has been moving to place and cod Russian soldiers looking to surrender successful bid to debar information successful the ongoing warfare successful Ukraine. Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

The warfare successful Ukraine has taken a hefty toll connected Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops, underscoring reports of desertions and morale issues successful the Russian army. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said successful its latest estimate Wednesday that astir 83,000 Russian unit had been eliminated since the commencement of the warfare connected February 24. U.S. General Mark Milley, the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided a abstracted estimate past week, saying that Russia's combined killed and wounded has topped 100,000 individuals.

Russia besides faced large-scale nationalist pushback for its partial mobilization bid successful September that Putin said would telephone up to 300,000 further soldiers to combat successful Ukraine. The draught triggered massive protests and an anti-mobilization petition that collected hundreds of thousands of signatures successful the people of a time aft it was announced.

Matvienko told the Post that the "I Want to Live" task saw a spike successful requests aft Putin gave the partial mobilization order, forcing galore Russians to look the anticipation of being sent to Ukraine.

As for the Russians who bash extremity up surrendering, immoderate explicit concerns astir however they volition beryllium treated successful the hands of Ukrainians, but they are provided with "comfortable conditions," 3 meals regular and aesculapian attraction erstwhile needed, Matvienko said. They are besides permitted to interaction ineligible representatives and relatives backmost successful Russia, helium added.

Newsweek reached retired to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.