A video shared to the Twitter account of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Tuesday offers invading troops asylum and a payout for weapons and equipment if they agree to stop participating in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “bloody war” by surrendering.
“You are on the territory of a foreign country and take part in the war crimes of the Russian leadership,” the video says. “Every day you are thrown to the slaughter. For your command, you are expendable. Nobody counts losses.”
“Ask yourself the question, ‘what are you fighting for?’” it continues. “For the fear of your leaders to lose power? For their lifestyle, built on money stolen from you and your families? For their stupidity and incompetence?”
Russian troops are then urged to “think about” their families and to surrender “by prior arrangement” to avoid consequences. Troops are promised that they will be registered as “captured in combat,” which Ukraine says will help them avoid criminal penalties and be paid for their service when returning to Russia.
Last month, Putin signed a law that mandates a prison sentence of up to 10 years for Russian troops who voluntarily surrender to Ukraine, according to RadioFreeEurope. The law also offers Russian citizenship for any foreigners who volunteer to serve in the Russian military.
“The command of the armed forces of Ukraine offers you to surrender and return home,” the Ukrainian video states. “We guarantee compliance with the Geneva Conventions in relation to prisoners.”
“All those who surrendered are registered as captured in combat,” it continues. “This allows you to avoid persecution by the Russian special services and guarantees that all the due payments will be saved for you.”
Troops that still “fear persecution by the Russian authorities and do not wish to return” home are offered “protection and asylum on the territory of Ukraine.” They are also offered “a decent monetary reward” in exchange for surrendering “weapons, military equipment and ammunition to the Ukrainian Army.”
The video ends with an appeal for Russian soldiers to call a “round-the-clock hotline” to arrange their surrender. Alternatively, troops can use an “I want to live” chatbot on Telegram.
“This is not a betrayal,” the video says. “This is a normal reaction of normal people to a criminal war… This is better than being a dead occupier in a foreign land.”
A significant number of Russian soldiers have called the Ukrainian hotline to arrange their surrender since Putin ordered a partial mobilization of troops last month, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
Multiple videos that purportedly show Russian troops surrendering in Ukraine have also appeared online, although in some cases the authenticity of the videos has been questioned.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian government for comment.
