As of December, more than 220 Russian soldiers surrendered through the "I Want to Live" hotline, Vitaliy Matvienko, spokesman for the GUR Department for Prisoner of War Affairs, told the Financial Times, according to UNN.
Details
The I Want to Live hotline was launched in September 2022, just three days before the partial mobilization announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition to the approximately 190,000 troops who participated in the full-scale invasion in February of that year, Moscow mobilized about 300,000 reservists. After that, as noted, the hotline began to be overwhelmed with calls from those wishing to surrender.
Many Russian men did not want to go to war, Matvienko said, citing conversations between recently mobilized Russian men and the 10 operators of his hotline. Less than a month after the launch of the line, the first successful surrender took place. Since then, about three Russian soldiers have surrendered every week and been transferred to Ukrainian custody as prisoners of war.
According to Matvienko, the hotline has received more than 26,000 calls by phone and through a chatbot on Telegram. The I Want to Live website has been visited more than 48 million times, including 46 million times from Russia.
Україна повернула з російського полону понад 200 воїнів і цивільних - Зеленський03.01.24, 18:11
Before being released, Russians are given "I want to live" business cards to distribute to men in Russia who may be mobilized in case they want to escape when they arrive in Ukraine.
The 'I Want to Live' hotline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a secret location in Kyiv, with 10 operators working there. The team consists of military psychologists and analysts who, according to Matvienko, have been specially trained to communicate with Russian soldiers.
For soldiers who fear that their lives will be in danger if they return to Russia, the DIU offers the opportunity to apply for asylum in Ukraine.
Найближчими тижнями може відбутися ще один обмін полоненими - Лубінець04.01.24, 10:00
Addendum
Ukrainian military officials and combat commanders say that one of the reasons why Russian troops often abandon their positions and surrender is because they are mistreated by their commanders. Reports by Russian military bloggers on Telegram suggest that the brutal "human wave" tactics used by Russian troops in Ukraine also have a negative impact on morale. "
The Russian army is essentially the Soviet army. As you know, in the Soviet army, the value of a soldier's life was zero," Matvienko said.
Росія не випадково обрала час обміну полоненими - ISW04.01.24, 07:26