The special “I want to live” telephone line, which was set up last September, has already received more than 6,500 requests for surrender from Russians by January 20 – the guarantee comes from Vitaly Matvienko, spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Prisoners of War – who are “often in the lead walk”.
To ensure the veracity of this service, recordings of telephone conversations were released yesterday. In one, a man, whose voice was distorted, explains that he was given that number and told he could call to “surrender voluntarily”.
The person answering the call, a woman, asks if he’s already mobilized or already in the military. The answer is affirmative: “Yes, I have been mobilized. Soon I will be sent to Kherson”. You will then be asked to go to Telegram, find the “I want to live” chatbot, and respond to whatever is asked.
There is a silence and the man asks, “When the Ukrainian soldiers arrive, should I kneel? How do I surrender?” The question is ignored. The “operator” tells him to call back “when you’re on the front line”. “I’m not the only one,” says the man. “I am with a group of soldiers who want to surrender, but they say we could be imprisoned in Ukraine for ten years.”
The explanation is simple and the woman never changes her tone: “Those who voluntarily surrender will be recorded as having been captured on the battlefield”. The man is asking for assurances that “they will not be filmed or attacked”. The answer points to two paths: “Political asylum in Ukraine, Germany or the Netherlands” or giving “interviews” seen in Russia so that they can integrate the “prisoner exchange” and return home.
Long range missiles?
Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, quoted by the AP, assured on Saturday that Kyiv and its “western allies” are engaged in what he called “swift” negotiations over the possibility of supplying Ukraine with “long-range missiles” and “military aircraft.” “. guaranteeing protection to armored vehicles promised by the United States and Germany, among others.
Yuriy Sak, adviser to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, interviewed by Lusa, says he hopes the delay in understanding how to send tanks or bureaucratic obstacles won’t repeat itself, saying that “this is the biggest war the world has seen.” has seen since the end of World War II, in which “weapons of all kinds are used very, very intensively”.
That is why he insists on Kiev’s call for “reinforced support” and the deployment of fighter jets: “We will start training Ukrainian pilots in F-16s and other fourth-generation versions of aircraft. This will ensure that the war starts earlier or later”.
Source: DN
