Flash News

Bota

Ukrainian President offers 3 guarantees to Russian soldiers who surrender

Ukrainian President offers 3 guarantees to Russian soldiers who surrender

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered guarantees to Russian soldiers who surrender to Ukrainian forces. He also called on the Russians to avoid partial military mobilization of their country.

In a speech on the night of September 24, which he gave in Russian, Zelensky offered assurances to Russians who have been captured while fighting in Ukraine.

"Ukraine guarantees three things for every Russian soldier who surrenders. First, you will be treated in a civilized manner, in accordance with all conventions. Second, no one will know the circumstances of your surrender, no one in Russia will know that your surrender was voluntary. And thirdly, if you are afraid to return to Russia and do not want an exchange, we will find a way to guarantee this," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president said Russia's partial mobilization, aimed at supporting Russian forces that have been fighting in Ukraine since Moscow's unprovoked invasion in February and have recently suffered major military setbacks in eastern Ukraine, is a "crime ".

Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 21 announced military mobilization to bolster the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and after Russian forces suffered losses on the battlefield.

He signed amendments on September 24 that toughened penalties for Russians who voluntarily surrender or refuse to fight, making these actions punishable by 10 years in prison.

The mobilization, for now, is said to be partial, and calls for 300,000 Russian reservists to join the war. According to the Ministry of Defense of Russia - the country with the largest area in the world - a full military mobilization would mean the involvement of the reserve force of 25 million people.

Under Russian law, men and women between the ages of 18 and 60 can theoretically be called up as reservists, depending on their ranks. The Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24./Rel

Latest news