"What are you fighting for?": General Staff issues urgent appeal to Russian soldiers

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO – MONDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2022, 12:46

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has posted a video appealing to Russian soldiers not to participate in the war crimes being committed by Putin’s regime, but to give themselves up to captivity instead.

Source: video by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Quote: "You are in the territory of another country and you are accomplices in the war crimes of the Russian authorities. Every day you are being led to slaughter. To your command, you are nothing more than waste material. Nobody is counting the losses. Ask yourself this question: ‘What am I fighting for?’ For your leaders’ fear of losing power, for their lifestyle, financed with money they stole from you and your families, for their stupidity and incompetence?

Ukraine was never a threat to the Russian Federation. You are not fighting against NATO today, no matter how often the Kremlin’s propagandists tell you that. You are fighting against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are defending their people and their country against your aggression.

We are ready to defend our homes, families, children and future to the end. Think about your families. Your loved ones need their fathers, husbands and sons to be alive and well; they need their homes. You were not given the gift of life just to waste it carrying out the criminal orders of Putin’s regime.

Save your life and your future – refuse to participate in Putin’s bloody war. Lay down your arms for the sake of your safe and peaceful future."

Details: The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine offers the occupiers the opportunity to surrender and return home alive.

The General Staff guarantees that it will adhere to the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war, ensuring the provision of medical aid and communication with families.

Everyone who surrenders is registered as having been captured during combat action. This enables them to avoid persecution by the Russian secret services and to continue receiving all the payments to which they are entitled.

Soldiers who fear persecution by the Russian authorities and do not want to return to Russia in a prisoner of war swap will receive protection and refuge in the territory of Ukraine.

In addition, they are being offered proper remuneration for voluntarily handing their weapons, military equipment and ammunition over to Ukrainian forces.

Russian soldiers can surrender by contacting the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the following phone numbers: +38 066 580 34 98; +38 093 119 29 84, or via the chat-bot Hochu zhit’ (I Want to Live). Members of soldiers’ families can do this as well. 

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