In September Ukrainian army started the project «I want to live» and its hotline receives up to 100 surrendering requests per day, writes BBC.
The number of requests has visibly risen after the mobilization was announced in Russia and after the Kherson was liberated a few weeks ago. Altogether around 3 500 troops or their relatives used the option to refer to the hotline or send a message in some communication app, such as Telegram or WhatsApp.
Svitlana, who speaks with Russians each day, told BBC that every call is different, and most of the work is in the evenings when troops have better chances to make a call. As she said, the voices she hears after picking up the phone vary. They are desperate, and they are confused. Some troops are uncertain whether it’s a trap, and others call out of curiosity – they are not surrendering yet, but they want to know how to act if that day comes.
She said that not all of the Russian troops believe that Ukraine is led by Nazis. «The majority of them are worried about their lives,» she added.
The project «I want to live» is part of Ukraine’s information war. It weakens the enemy army’s morale and helps with the prisoner-of-war exchange. Surrendered Russians later could be exchanged for Ukrainians.
Read also: G7 member states to coordinate investigation of war crimes in Ukraine