Fighter from Russia's elite Rubikon unit defects to Ukraine

According to Ukrinform, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said this in a post on Telegram.

"Serviceman of the Rubikon center, Miroslav Simonov, decided to switch sides after realizing that human life in the Russian army is worth nothing. He was shocked by the brutal treatment of their own troops and by how easily commanders issue orders to kill prisoners and civilians," the statement said.

After attempting to flee the Russian military, Simonov was detained and transferred from the Rubikon unit to an assault brigade, from which the only way out alive is through captivity.

Fortunately, he had learned about the Coordination Headquarters' "I Want to Live" project before joining the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces.

Project specialists helped the Russian serviceman cross the front line and reach the Ukrainian side.

According to Simonov, he does not want to remain a prisoner and instead intends to join a unit made up of Russians within the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The "I Want to Live" project enables Russian occupiers to notify Ukrainian forces in advance of their intention to voluntarily lay down their arms and surrender.

After an application is submitted through one of the project's many communication channels, it is verified by project staff and then forwarded to operatives of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate.

These operatives directly carry out operations to extract Russian servicemen from the combat zone.

Photo: Video screenshot