“Over 16,000 Russian Soldiers Enlist to Surrender in Ukraine’s ‘I Want to Live’ Hotline”

KIEV – Ukraine mocking the Kremlin after over 16,000 soldiers Russia enlisted to surrender in war. That figure includes nearly 3,200 Moscow troops who surrendered to Kiev forces last month.

The tens of thousands of Moscow troops had signed up to surrender through the project hotline “I Want to Live” conducted by Ukrainian officials.

Head hotlineVitaliy Matvienko, said last Thursday that more than 16,000 Russian troops had signed up to surrender through the project since it started last September.

He added in the statement that the number of Russian applicants increased by 10 percent from March to April.

The project was created to offer Russian and Belarusian military personnel an escape from fighting in the war in Ukraine.

However, in a tweet on Friday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense used the handover project as a mockery against the Kremlin.

“The closer the counterattack gets, the hotter the season of surrender will be,” the ministry said. “Don’t wait for the heat! The most favorable conditions are now,” the ministry continued, as quoted NewsweekSaturday (6/5/2023).

Kiev officials have long touted a Ukrainian counteroffensive this spring to regain Russian-occupied territory in the south and east, though the two sides have been stalemate for months in the battle for the Bakhmut region.