Putin opponents call on Russians to switch sides
A Russian volunteer corps fighting on the side of Ukraine has appealed to the soldiers of the Russian army to surrender. "Your political instructors, sitting comfortably in the back room, strongly advise against being taken prisoner, suggesting instead that you blow yourselves up with your own grenade," the fighters of the Legion "Freedom of Russia" wrote on Telegram. However, it is better to live than to die for a superior's medal. Those who wish to fight for a "normal future for Russia" can also switch sides and join the legion. "We are ready to communicate with anyone who expresses the desire to turn their weapons against the Kremlin," the fighters wrote. The Ukrainian forces have been conducting a large-scale ground offensive in the Russian region of Kursk since August 6, marking the first such incursion since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The ongoing Ukrainian conflict has led some Russian soldiers to question their allegiance, as seen with the Russian volunteer corps appealing to their comrades to consider surrendering. Despite the Russian army's political instructors discouraging capture, the situation in the Ukrainian conflict has sparked conversations among some soldiers about the value of living over dying for a superior's recognition.
