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Russian Military Intelligence Soldier Says 70% of His Company Was Wiped Out—Then He Chose to Surrender
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A Russian military intelligence special forces soldier voluntarily surrendered to Ukraine after an assault in which he says roughly 70% of his company was killed, an experience that convinced him his supposedly elite unit had simply been sent to die.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) released the serviceman’s account through the state-run I Want to Live project, which facilitates voluntary surrenders by Russian troops on September 7.
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According to HUR, the prisoner served in a special operations unit subordinate to the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff, commonly known by its former acronym GRU. Ukrainian intelligence described his surrender as unusual, saying personnel connected to Russian intelligence services are rarely taken prisoner voluntarily.
The serviceman said he joined the unit after signing a military contract and received training in weapons, tactics, engineering, explosives, topography, communications, and other disciplines.
Спецназовец-”ГРУшник” сдался в плен с помощью проекта “Хочу жить”!
— Проект «Хочу жить» (@hochuzhit_com) September 7, 2026
Через наш проект прошли уже сотни российских военных самого разного калибра, но кто-кто, а представители российских спецслужб сдаются в плен далеко не каждый день. Особенно представители разведки! Об этом… pic.twitter.com/ApaITQ8xmy
But he said the reputation surrounding Russian special forces no longer matches their reality.
“The training there is better than in ordinary units, but expectations of these special forces are greatly exaggerated. Now they take many people in and filter them out afterward,” he said.
The prisoner also said he initially believed Russian state propaganda and regarded the war as a legitimate cause.
“I thought I was taking part in something big. Now I understand that the propaganda simply worked very well. If the state does something, you get used to thinking that it must be right,” he said.
The turning point, according to his account, came during an assault on a Ukrainian village.
His company was ordered forward and ultimately completed its assigned objective, he said, but most of the unit was killed in the process.
“We completed the task, but at the cost of terrible losses. About 70% of the company died. When I saw the settlement for which so many people had been sacrificed, I realized it made absolutely no sense. It looked more like some kind of hidden genocide of Russia’s male population,” the prisoner said.
What he found inside the village further changed his perception of the war, he said.
“We entered houses, and family photographs were still hanging there. This was someone’s home, where people had created a comfortable life. And now the Russian army leaves only ruins behind. I didn’t see anything there that needed to be ‘liberated,’” he stated.
After the operation, the serviceman began searching for a way to avoid returning to combat.
He described his options as increasingly narrow: being killed, being transferred into another assault formation, or surrendering.
The solution eventually appeared on TikTok. While watching videos from Ukrainian soldiers and interviews with Russian prisoners, he came across information about the I Want to Live project.
“I saw a link to the I Want to Live chatbot and wrote to them. Then the coordinator and I discussed the extraction plan in detail. I explained that I no longer wanted to participate in the occupation and that I understood I was taking away someone else’s home,” he said.
He ultimately surrendered voluntarily through the program. The prisoner said the project offers an alternative for Russian soldiers who no longer want to participate in the invasion.
“It is very good that such an opportunity exists. For people who have regained sound judgment, it is a chance to stop taking part in this lawlessness, lay down their weapons, and stay alive,” he said.
Earlier, reports emerged that twenty Russian soldiers are currently held in Ukrainian captivity after surrendering to the Ukrainian Defense Forces for a second time following prisoner exchanges.
Russian commanders sent these servicemen back to active duty after they returned home in swaps, leading them to surrender again when sent back to the front line.
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-8a49d071e085c2212278c4d38cf4ed36.jpg "A Ukrainian BARS-SM jet-powered strike drone.")
