Update: Business Is Brisk On Ukraine’s Surrender Hotline For Russians
[guest post by Dana]
That business is brisk is just one more humiliation for President Putin:
More than a million Russians have called, texted or visited the website of a Ukrainian hotline that allows them to surrender, with many seeking a way to avoid going to war, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, according to the hotline.
The hotline, which is run by the “I Want to Live” project, has received about 200 to 300 daily calls since September, said Vitaliy Matvienko, the project’s spokesperson. Instead of calling, some Russians choose to send encrypted messages via Telegram. Altogether, more than 4,000 people have submitted requests to surrender, he said.
“We saw that there are many Russians who do not want to fight,” Matvienko said. “Their numbers skyrocketed after Putin announced mobilization in Russia, while Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated vast territories in the Kharkiv region in a fulminant counteroffensive.”
Along with the Russians who have called the hotline are Ukrainians who fought on the Russian side.
Concerning any peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, I’ll add this to the post: Demonstrating that the Kremlin is not really interested in any “serious” negotiations with Ukraine, the Kremlin’s position continues to be one where any “serious” talks would first require Ukraine to accept the “new territorial realities”:
In his call with Putin, [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan told him that calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral declaration of ceasefire and a vision of “a fair solution.”
Putin, however, told Erdogan that Moscow is open to “serious dialogue,” but Kyiv must accept the “new territorial realities,” according to a Kremlin statement.
“In light of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s readiness for Turkish mediation for a political settlement of the conflict, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s openness to serious dialogue, provided that the Kyiv authorities comply with the well-known and repeatedly voiced demands and take into account new territorial realities,” the Kremlin said following a phone call between the two leaders on Thursday.
Putin also emphasized “the destructive role of the West, pumping Ukraine with weapons and providing it with target designation,” the Kremlin said.
Absolutely this:
Putin had no qualms about sending bombs and missiles to kill Ukrainians during their Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, but now he wants to unilaterally declare some kind of a pretend ceasefire to honor the Orthodox holidays. Cynical, revolting, theatrical hypocrisy.
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (1225fc) — 1/5/2023 @ 9:15 amPutin also emphasized “the destructive role of the West, pumping Ukraine with weapons and providing it with target designation,” the Kremlin said.
“Hey, Vlad! Where you at?!”
Kevin M (1ea396) — 1/5/2023 @ 9:22 amMeanwhile, Ukraine has rejected Russia’s call for a 36 hour cease-fire in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas:
Dana (1225fc) — 1/5/2023 @ 9:26 amMaybe Putin should acknowledge the destructive role of his invasion, and Ukraine’s right to exist.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 1/5/2023 @ 10:40 amErdogan’s ceasefire proposal should be a non-starter for Zelenskyy, and the same for Russian demands to keep territory that doesn’t belong to them.
The last thing the Ukrainians want is time and space for Putin to re-arm and reload. Bring on the Bradleys.
That seems like a really large number. I wonder what those millions did.
ah. I can see how that would humiliate Putin. It’s going to be difficult for UKR to deal with millions of surrendering soldiers or civilians. They may need more money.
It’s a good thing the website it tracking and provide these numbers. It lends credence to the idea that there are millions of RU looking to surrender to UKR. I wonder what “many” translates into?
ah. That is also an impressive number. That’s a good abandonment rate for a web presence.
frosty (fc6b10) — 1/5/2023 @ 11:16 amOut of those 4000 who submitted requests to surrender, how many of them were by people with suspicious names like like Chokand Fukov?
1,000,000 visits
4000 submitted requests to surrender
I’m guessing here:
1000 verified requests to surrender
750 surrenders (if I submitted a request to surrender that was then verified, I’d assume that within a week the FSB is going to find out, so am guessing most people go through with it once they get to this point)
750 Russian families destroyed by the defection
steveg (1fc9d8) — 1/5/2023 @ 2:20 pmAny problems in my life are miniscule compared to the suffering of the people in this war. All for the sake of a thug’s ego.
Dude, you already rule the largest land mass on Earth. Be content with it. Nobody is going to invade, you evil f*ck.
norcal (862cdb) — 1/5/2023 @ 2:52 pmMost of that is “visited the website”
There are about 200 to 300 calls a day since September. That’s 4 months. approximately, probably increasing with time (before there were other means of contact)
But say 250×120. That’s 30,000 phone calls. Not all to surrender. It’s requesting a whole lot of information and friend of a friend inquiries.
Texts: Fewer – this is probably the encrypted messages via Telegram.
Those that are actually requests how to surrender number a little over 4,000
If there are more than a million in combination with visits to the website (which are probably not unique) the calls and the texts are basically a rounding error in the total of over 1 million.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/5/2023 @ 3:33 pmAmong the calls are Russians (or people in Crimea) seeking advice on how to avoid going into the army, and Ukrainians who have been fighting on the Russian side. They have to be a bit desperate to trust or gamble that the communication is secure and to trust that surrender will be accepted. They probably get good advice, which probably can’t always be followed and there should be a problem in getting it always honored but Ukraine knows that word of what happens will get a back.
In Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban negotiated surrenders – of whole units. Here it is individuals but it’s the US/ backed side that is taking the surrenders.
One unfortunate individual was returned in a prisoner exchange and brutally murdered by the Russians, but this was probably because he gave interviews to the Ukrainian press (and the New York Times which didn’t publish until after learning of his death) and the Ukrainians were stupid enough to include him. That person was a convicted murderer who accepted an offer from the Wagner group to get out of prison.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/16/world/europe/russia-putin-war-failures-ukraine.html
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/5/2023 @ 3:38 pmForgive me if somebody has already posted this: Macron will send French tanks to Ukraine.
nk (525c38) — 1/5/2023 @ 5:25 pm@10: Forgive me if somebody has already posted this: Macron will send French tanks to Ukraine.
BFD- so award’em their own Croix de Guerre; the Froggies toyed in Vietnam, too. but then, leave it to Joey to let America fund and carry the heavier piece of the load:
Biden expected to announce more Ukraine aid, including sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is expected to announce a new round of military assistance for Ukraine on Friday that will include equipment the U.S. has not previously provided, according to three U.S. officials. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that Bradley Fighting Vehicles will be part of the new package. The announcement was made in conjunction with Germany, which plans to send Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The president held a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz early Thursday afternoon, the White House said in a statement.
The two leaders “reiterated their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. They reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s aggression,” according to a White House statement. The total price tag of the package will be nearly $3 billion, according to two U.S. officials. The aid package will be the first from the $45 billion Congress in assistance authorized for Ukraine at the end of December. The president said Wednesday he was considering sending the powerful Bradley Armored Vehicles to Ukraine, something Kyiv has been asking the U.S. to do.’ -NBCNews.com
‘This Letter’s Postmaked, Vietnam…’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRQu8F4S6Cw&t=5s
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/5/2023 @ 6:05 pmMcCarthy’s deer-in-the-headlights-stare when reporters asked him WHY he didn’t sort all this out months before it came to the vote says it all. He’s not SoH material; he wasn’t in 2015; and still is not today.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/5/2023 @ 6:09 pm“Designated as “light tanks” in French, the AMX-10 RC carries a 105-milimeter cannon and two machine guns. It’s primarily designed for reconnaissance missions and has enough armor to protect against light infantry weapons”
Ah
steveg (228879) — 1/5/2023 @ 8:57 pm“has enough armor to protect against light infantry weapons” how light is light when it comes to opposing weaponry? Someone is about to find out.
This looks and sounds like the perfect weapon system to find and demobilize conscripts cheaply and effectively, although I still think airdropping cases of cheap, 2 liter plastic jug vodka would be cheapest of all
I agree on McCarthy and the SoH at this point, because right now he doesn’t have the integrity to be the leader. His house is divided by a 9% minority and he needs to show he can get it in line and then make his house whole. Big task, but if he can’t do it, then the GOP needs to find someone who can.
FWIW I am intentionally using the word integrity here per its less common definition because I think the lesser than whole person will have a the greater task trying to bring unity out of this type of disunity
steveg (228879) — 1/5/2023 @ 9:16 pmHertling has a good thread on the American Bradleys and their French counterparts, and the French variety are pretty good.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 1/5/2023 @ 10:58 pmI was thinking like someone about to get into one of those “light tanks” with armor against “light infantry weapons”. I’d like a little more definition on what exactly they meant by the words “light infantry weapons”.
I saw a video where a loitering munition kamikaze drone flew into a Russian infantry vehicle’s open back doors. Evidently Sasha blew out last nights canned onion and borscht feast and they had to open the doors.
steveg (230e74) — 1/6/2023 @ 8:40 am