A War cannot be Won, if the People Fighting it No Longer believe in the Cause. As Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Grinds into its Fourth year, that Truth is becoming impossible to Conceal. Vladimir Putin has Tried to Compensate for Battlefield Failures with Higher Pay, Coercive Recruitment, and Relentless Propaganda, but None of it has Stopped a Growing Collapse inside His Own Ranks. Russian Soldiers are Surrendering in Unprecedented Numbers, and Ukraine has turned that Breakdown in Morale into a Strategic Advantage.
By the End of 2025, more than 10,000 Russian Soldiers had been Captured by Ukrainian Forces, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The Figure alone is Staggering. More Revealing still is the Pace. More Russian Soldiers Surrendered in 2025, than in 2022 and 2023 Combined, a Sign that Something Fundamental has Shifted inside Russia’s Military.
At the Center of this Trend, is a Ukrainian Initiative called “I Want to Live.” The Program offers Russian Soldiers a Clear, Simple Path to Surrender, No matter where they are on the Front. Through Encrypted Messaging Platforms, Chatbots, and Direct Contact Channels, Soldiers can Arrange to Lay Down their Arms Safely. Ukraine Guarantees Treatment in Line with the Geneva Conventions, including Food, Medical Care, Humane Detention Conditions, and the Ability to Contact Family Members.
For many Russian Troops, this Treatment Alone is an Upgrade. Reports from Captured Soldiers Paint a Grim Picture of Life inside Russia’s Army. Food Shortages, Inadequate Medical Care, Poor Equipment, and Brutal Discipline are Common Themes. Ukrainian Officials say Surrender often Looks less like Betrayal and more like Survival.
The Demographics of those Captured tell an even Darker Story. Around 83% are Rank-and-File Soldiers, the Infantry Pushed into Frontal Assaults. Only 3% are Officers, Reinforcing the View that Russian Commanders stay well Clear of the Killing Zones. Roughly 76% are Contract Soldiers, many Recruited from Prisons or Private Military Companies. Mobilized Civilians Account for about 19%, while Conscripts, Despite Putin’s Early Promises, make up the rest. Nearly One-in-Four Captured Soldiers Report being Coerced or Misled into Joining the Army. Many were told they would Serve in Rear Areas or Receive Non-Combat Roles. Instead, they were sent Directly into Drone-Saturated Battlefields with Little Training and even less Support.
The Kremlin’s Recruitment Strategy has Focused Heavily on the most Vulnerable. About 40% of Captured Soldiers have Criminal Records, and Large Numbers were Unemployed or Poorly Educated Before Enlistment. Financial Incentives, sometimes Offering Wages several Times the National Average, Proved Persuasive. So did the Promise of Redemption, Social Status, or Freedom from Prison. The Reality has been Something else Entirely. Ukrainian Officials also Report that Hundreds of Captured Soldiers Suffer from Chronic Illnesses, including Tuberculosis, HIV, Diabetes, and Serious Mental Health Conditions. Some were Reportedly Marked with Armbands Identifying them as “Infected” before being sent into Combat. These Soldiers were Not Liabilities to be Protected. They were Expendable.
Foreign Fighters have fared No Better. Roughly 7% of those Captured come from more than 40 Countries, Recruited through Aaggressive Social Media Campaigns and Promises of Pay or Citizenship. Once Captured, many Discover that Russia shows Little Interest in bringing them Home. Prisoner Exchanges Overwhelmingly Prioritize Ethnic Russian Soldiers Who are Uninjured and Recently Captured. Those who are Wounded often Return to Russia, only to be Redeployed to the Front, sometimes Dying or Disappearing Shortly Afterward. Some have been Captured Twice. It is a Cycle that Reveals how Little Value the Kremlin Places on the Lives of its own Troops. Ukraine has Not simply Observed this Collapse. It has Leveraged it.
Military Analysts describe “I Want to Live” as Modern Psychological Warfare, Replacing Leaflets and Loudspeakers, with Smartphones and Social Networks. Ukraine reaches Soldiers Directly, Bypassing Commanders and State Media, Planting the Idea that Surrender is Not Only Possible, but Rational. The Effects ripple Outward. Every Surrender, Weakens Russian Assaults, Drains Manpower, and Hands Ukraine Valuable Intelligence. Captured Soldiers Reveal Training Standards, Unit Composition, Supply Shortages, and Morale Conditions across the Front. In Rare Cases, Captured Officers Provide Insight into Planned Operations.
There is also Leverage at the Negotiating Table. Large Prisoner Exchanges have brought Hundreds of Ukrainian Soldiers Home, made Possible by the Sheer Number of Russians in Ukrainian Custody. Perhaps most Telling is where Surrenders are Happening. The Highest Numbers come from Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Kursk, and parts of Zaporizhzhia, areas where Russian Forces have Suffered Catastrophic Losses. These are Not Isolated Incidents. They are Symptoms of a Broader Failure.
Historically, Attacking Armies Capture more Prisoners than Defenders. In Ukraine, the Opposite is Increasingly True. Russian Units Fail to Isolate Ukrainian Defenders, Stumble into Encirclements, or Collapse under Pressure. The Attackers Become the Trapped.
Putin has Demanded Loyalty unto Death, Believing Money could Buy Obedience. But Soldiers asked to Die for a Cause they No Longer believe in are Choosing another Option. They are Laying Down their Weapons. Something has Broken inside Russia’s Military. It is Not a Single Mutiny or Dramatic Collapse, but a Steady Erosion of Will. Ukraine has Recognized that Fracture and Widened it, Soldier-by-Soldier. Wars are Not Decided only by Weapons and Territory. They are Decided by Belief, and on that Front, Putin is Losing.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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