"The Russians Fighting Putin in Ukraine"
--Amie Ferris-Rotman in 'Time' magazine
"A war within a war has emerged in Ukraine. More than a month after the Russian army invaded on the order of
President Vladimir Putin, more and more Russian nationals are fighting alongside Ukrainians.
The combatants, who appear to number in at least the hundreds, describe Putin as the enemy, even as they take up arms
against their countrymen. They range from captured Russian soldiers to political dissidents ..."
"Ukraine’s government, which has cast the war as a contest between the forces of darkness and light, is leveraging Russian disunity.
On April 5, three men wearing military fatigues and black balaclavas faced reporters in Kyiv, where they announced a new battalion
called
composed entirely of Russian citizens, including former POWs. Addressing their fellow Russians, they
said they were morally outraged by Moscow’s lack of discipline and apparent disregard for human life."
"Russian defectors are also welcome in Kyiv. On April 2, Ukrainian
passed a new law saying any Russian soldier who
surrenders with a warship or jet will be awarded $1 million. A captured tank will earn them $100,000 and there is $10,000 for smaller
military equipment. The first vice-speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Oleksandr Kornienko, said the rewards would motivate the
“demoralized occupying army”. The law comes after a previous offer by Kyiv of $10,000 to any Russian soldier who surrenders."
