According to reports, a Russian soldier surrendered himself and his tank to Ukrainian troops in exchange for $10,000 (£7,500) and Ukrainian citizenship.
Misha (not real name) was one of President Vladimir Putin’s invading forces, according to Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Victor Andrusiv, but he has now surrendered a T-72B3 main battle tank after his two other crewmates escaped home and his superior officer threatened to shoot him.
Andrusiv said Misha had called Ukraine’s national police and set up a meeting location, but that Ukraine needed to be cautious and send in a drone with a camera to meet the soldier to ensure it wasn’t an ambush.
He said: ‘For a few weeks in the National Police we have identified the phones used by Russians.
‘On these phones, we regularly send SMS about how to surrender and hand over the equipment.
‘A few days ago, Misha called us.
‘We handed over the information about him to the GUR MO [Ukrainian military intelligence].
‘He didn’t see the point of the war.
Misha was then apprehended by special forces, who laid face-down with his hand raised as he surrendered.
The captured T-72B3 tank is equipped with a 125 mm smoothbore main gun, a machine gun, and an anti-tank guided missile, as well as a three-person crew. It’s a relatively recent Russian modernization of Ukraine’s outdated T-72B tanks.
The Russian soldier will spend the rest of the conflict as a prisoner in ‘nice conditions with a TV, phone, kitchen, and shower,’ according to Andrusiv.
The Russian soldier’s surrender comes just days after Ukroboronprom, Ukraine’s national arms maker, offered $1 million for the capture of battle-ready Russian aircraft.
Ukroboronprom said: ‘To the pilots of the Russian Federation ready to participate in the programme, we guarantee the issuance of citizenship of a free country!’
The arms maker also stated that for any combat helicopter seized from the Russians that could still be used, it would pay $500,000.
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