At an increasing pace, Russian troops are surrendering amid the war in Ukraine, as noted by Ukraine’s main Directorate of Intelligence, published in The Hindustan Times. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry in one of their statements noted that there has been a steep rise in the number of Russian troops who are in dire need to surrender to ‘save their lives’. Some Ukraine, as per official news, are also being directly captured right on the war field, as the records in the statement.
During the ongoing war, Moscow had shown no signs of stopping attacks rather it had continued to claim portions of eastern Ukraine. The spokesman of the statement ‘I Want to Live’- Vitaliy Matvienko also commented that registered appeals from Russian soldiers show to risen sharply at a doubled rate since last month to about 3000 appeals. The coordinating headquarters are running the project for treating the prisoners of war with Ukraine’s Defence Ministry and the Main Directorate of Intelligence. The ministry has also added that the Ukrainian counter-offensive operation on the ground is yet to begin however the effect is already bringing the fruits of labour. The choice of a Russian soldier during the battle is simple, only left with two options, either capture or death.
There has been a series of unexpected and sudden lightning-fast movements during the war that is yet to change fate, the ministry has said. The window of opportunity for surrender is still narrowing. This has come out as secret documents with details of NATO’s and US plans to aid Ukraine in being spring offensive against Russia. It also was shared widely on social media platforms, as reported by the New York Times. The Pentagon was assessing the security breach. Putin launched his special military operation on Ukraine last February in an attempt to get a quick victory against his Eastern European neighbour to which Ukraine had responded more strongly than expected. Bolstered by Western Aid, it has blunted Russian military gains from all ends. With an ongoing conflict for over a year, the combat remains concentrated in the easternmost regions of Ukraine. Analysts have remarked that Russia’s attempts at winter offences have largely failed.
Vitaliy has said that probably more Russians are surrendering yet the Ukrainian offensive which has still not begun leaves the question of doubt as to why this surrender is being made, that too at such a fast pace. A senior adviser in the International Security Program, Mark F. Cancian has added this at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), according to Newsweek last Friday.
‘I Want to Live’ is a project that is run by the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. This started last September to encourage Russian militants to protect their loves by fighting for Moscow in a war including major Ukrainian cities like Odesa, Kyiv and Kherson. The war has mostly intensified in Bakhmut, located in Ukraine’s Donetsk region which is the site of month-long battles between the two forces. Cancian stated that the Russian reaction will determine what comes next in the battle with the launch of Ukraine’s offences. The key moment will be how the Russian soldiers fight effectively regardless of individual surrenders.
