Former Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered to Russian troops and decided to join the Russian army tell their stories

Vladyslav Viktorovich Danko: I live in Kremennaya, Lugansk region. Before the start of the special military operation, I served in the 36th marine brigade. On 6 March 2022 I was captured. Now I have the opportunity to serve in the Russian army and defend my family and my country against Nazism, which is present in Ukraine. Vladimir Vladimirovich Kanonets: I was born in the Donetsk region and has lived in the Lugansk region for the past three years. Before the special military operation, he served in the 93rd separate mechanised brigade “Kholodny Yar“. He decided to leave the territory of the military unit without permission in order not to carry out a knowingly criminal order to shell the local population and to provoke the Russian military on the border. I applied to the relevant services for the opportunity to serve in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.