Kathrine Frich
His account was shared through a Ukrainian government-backed project that encourages Russian troops to lay down their arms.
A Russian serviceman from an elite drone unit has surrendered to Ukrainian forces, claiming he could no longer endure pressure and alleged mistreatment within his ranks.
War 0r logistics?
Miroslav Simonov told the “I Want to Live” initiative that he felt compelled to join the Russian military under threat of criminal prosecution, according to reporting by the Kyiv Post.
“I was taken to the local police station, where the investigators gave me a choice: either do my compulsory military service, with the suggestion that I would later be drafted for war, or volunteer to join a unit where my father serves: the Logistics Company in the Bryansk region,” Simonov said.
From training to frontline
After signing enlistment papers, Simonov said he underwent training in Russia’s Voronezh region before being assigned to a drone unit operating in occupied Luhansk as part of the Russian 20th Army.
He later joined the Rubikon unit, described by Ukrainian officials as an elite formation equipped with advanced drones and electronic warfare systems and overseen by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.
Simonov alleged that the atmosphere inside the unit was marked by psychological pressure, verbal abuse and threats of transfer to frontline assault groups for minor infractions.
Turning point
He said a decisive moment came near Kupiansk, where he was serving as a drone technician.
According to his account, a Russian drone struck incorrect coordinates, seriously injuring a 20-year-old woman.
“I saw that the command supported those who did this. That angered and scared me,” Simonov said, adding that some soldiers dismissed concerns about civilian casualties.
The incident, he said, prompted him to consider desertion.
Escape and surrender
Simonov claimed he initially attempted to leave Russia for Kazakhstan using forged documents but was detained and sent back to the front as an assault infantryman.
He later contacted the “I Want to Live” project, which is run by Ukraine’s Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War with support from military intelligence.
The initiative provides guidance for Russian soldiers seeking to surrender under the protections of international law.
“They didn’t just destroy my life, they destroyed many other lives. I want to defend your home,” Simonov said, expressing his intention to fight on Ukraine’s side.
His account could not be independently verified.
Sources: Kyiv Post, “I Want to Live” project, Digi24.
