Military

Russian Soldier Surrenders to Ukrainian Drone on Bakhmut Battlefield

Published JUN 20 2023

Story

Image credit: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine [via Wikimedia Commons]

The Facts

A Russian soldier, who was later identified as 30-year-old Ruslan Anitin, surrendered to a Ukrainian drone on May 9 after air strikes near Bakhmut killed his entire unit, footage published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) revealed last week.
New York Post
While the raw video has not been made public, the commander of the assault drone division "Achilles" of Ukraine's 92nd Brigade, Yuriy Fedorenko, confirmed that his forces spared the life of a Russian fighter on the battlefield after he capitulated.
CNN
On Monday, the Journal detailed how Anitin was identified from quick clips of the incident that went viral in Ukraine and how its team spent ten days tracking him down to interview him, citing the support of Ukraine's security officers.
The Wall Street Journal
Anitin reported to the WSJ that his surrender came amid a desperate effort to reason with the Ukrainian artillery, after two severely wounded comrades committed suicide. They had reportedly radioed command for help, but to no avail.
FOX News
Conscripted for service last September — when Moscow mobilized hundreds of thousands of civilians — the father of a three-year-old daughter complained about the "hellish conditions" that Russian soldiers are enduring on the front lines.
Business Insider
Meanwhile, Kyiv claimed to have retaken eight settlements over two weeks of its counteroffensive, including the small Piatykhatky village, in the Zaporizhzhia region. This, however, is not a significant military breakthrough and has come at the cost of Ukrainian lives and advanced Western equipment.
nytimes

Sources Split

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The Spin

Anti-Russia narrative

Though the Russian army is unlikely to break any time soon, the decline in its morale is becoming clearer by the day, as Ukraine has captured dozens of Russian prisoners of war. By deploying poorly trained soldiers to the meat grinder front line, and threatening to shoot anyone who retreats, Moscow is leaving its troops no choice but to surrender.

Kyiv Post

Pro-Russia narrative

Ukraine's much-advertised counteroffensive has been a complete fiasco, translating into heavy losses for Kyiv while Moscow holds firm and projects long-term victory without the need to resort to nuclear weapons. Putin looks as comfortable as ever ahead of next Spring's presidential elections, especially amid the failure of the West's isolation strategy.

RT International