Over 260 Russian soldiers voluntarily surrender to Ukraine via I Want to Live project, Ukrainian intelligence says

The I Want to Live project has received over 35,000 applications as of 10 May, mostly from serving Russian military personnel, with 260 people already surrendering to Ukraine with the project’s help.

Source: Captain Andrii Yusov, representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), in a comment to Ukrinform news agency

Quote: "We have received over 35,000 applications for the project. Mostly from serving Russian military personnel, as well as people who may end up in the Russian Armed Forces and want to protect themselves, unwilling to take part in the war of aggression and not become war criminals.

To date, over 260 Russian soldiers of various ranks have successfully benefited from the project. All of them have crossed the front line and are safe under the protection of the state of Ukraine and international law."

Details: Yusov noted that most of them are willing to come back to their homeland after the end of hostilities, and to avoid future problems with the law, they are registered as captured and not marked as having voluntarily defected or surrendered.

At the same time, the captain noted that some are reluctant to come back to Russia. "That [not returning to Russia – ed.] is also an option. Ukraine guarantees such an opportunity," the DIU representative emphasised.

For reference: I Want to Live is a Ukrainian government-run project designed to help soldiers of the Russian and Belarusian Armed Forces surrender safely. The project was launched in September 2022 by Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which operates with the support of Ukraine's Defence Ministry and DIU.

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