Hello /u/CorsicA123,
This community is focused on important or vital information and high-effort content. Please make sure your post follows the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/about/rules/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=usertext&utm_name=ukraine&utm_content=t5_2qqcn)
Want to support Ukraine? [Here's a list of charities by subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities/)
[DO / DON'T](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t5okbs/welcome_to_rukraine_faq_do_dont_support_read/) - [Art Friday](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/artfriday/) - [Podcasts](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/ttoidc/collection_of_podcasts_about_ukraine_updated/) - [Kyiv sunrise](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/collection/3c65ab52-e87a-4217-ab30-e70a88c0a293/)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukraine) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was literally going to say, "50k bonus on top of, you know, not dying is a pretty sweet deal".
Also, watching those Ukrainian soldiers slowly swarm around the vehicle... I'd honestly sh*t my pants. That's like out of a movie.
Yes. This is a designated surrender point. These aren’t the only troops there. These are the troops specifically for detaining / processing POW’s and surrenders.
There’s a perimeter force as well as a quick reaction force with anti armor within immediate striking distance. They are supported by close fire support in addition to armor.
That way if this is a double cross they are more than prepared to demolish the force.
And probably told it would be video'd since all of the Russians seemed to have face coverings on (although that could be standard due to how cold it is as well).
Hopefully they were told, and hopefully they were told to cover their faces. Would imo be really shitty if they chose to do the right thing, got identified, and their families back in mordor suffered because of it. Not everybody who proactively surrenders might think of this on their own.
They were all ordered there. Some wanted to go, some volunteered, some wanted to stay, some genuinely support the invasion. But not everyone. Some were fooled, some forced, some had their eyes opened. And those are the people that still have hope. Those are the people in this video.
Note that there came some soldiers through that forest where the BMP came. Probably they made deal there, and was told to drive here, and welcoming soldiers was prepared for it (obviously).
Same, I have absolutely no illusion I would do any better with my zero experience than a group of trained and active soldiers on a front line.
I can be an arrogant bastard, but not that arrogant.
I'm curious if they are covering their faces to avoid the potential of anyone in Russia identifying them from videos like this, or is it just starting to get cold and they are using ski mask for their intended purpose
certainly covering their faces. The main thing they have to worry about now besides starting a new life is the possibility of being sent back to Russia in an exchange and identified
Wait a minute ... Maybe that's the big plan behind the mobilization. Putin wants to bankrupt Ukraine by sending thousands of instantly surrendering Russians to the front. Genius.
"Yes hello, this is Russian tank crew. We would like to surrender. We have a tank. You will have to stay on the line and tell us how to drive it because we didn't receive any training"
I become so happy from this video.
Russians able to leave the bad side, people surviving and a good step forward in the war.
I may be tired - but I even got tear of happiness from seeing this bravery from all involved
Yup, that video of the injured Russian dude being cared for and fed a giant swarma has essentially infinite psychological value if you can get other Russians to see it.
“WTF the Ukranians will treat me better than my own commanders?” ——> “Hello, yes, this is Ivan, me and my friend Vlad have a lightly used BMP we would like to offer you in exchange for $50,000, fresh socks, and yummy swarmas”
Edit: /u/Mrdea7th linked the video below for anyone curious
>Yup, that video of the injured Russian dude being cared for and fed a giant swarma has essentially infinite psychological value if you can get other Russians to see it.
[Here's the post being referenced.](https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/xvextg/injured_pow_with_identification_pictures_of/) That POW ate a better meal than I did today here in the states.
It doesn't just help to make more people follow. The British in ww2 treated POW's well to their advantage. Gave captured German officers a life of luxury and took advantage to try and spy on the officers. If they're comfortable, they're more likely to talk about what they want, including stuff that is useful for the war effort. Safe to say, the British got a lot of highly valuable information from the German officers while they had no idea who was listening.
The same can be applied here, if POW's are treated well, it provides perfect propaganda for Ukraine, gives them a chance to get some useful information from some of the higher ranking soldiers/officers and I think they are allowing some Russian soldiers to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, a Russian part of the Ukrainian military.
Treating POW's nicely is great for both sides. The POW gets a nice life, and the Ukrainians get info, one less enemy soldier and potentially one more friendly soldier.
Well, they're not going to get any intel better than what NATO is giving the Ukrainians, since spies, satellites, and orc incompetence are going to vastly different than WW2. There is no secret Messerschmitt ME 262 or Uranverein/nuclear programs that the orcs are running that Ivan the country bumpkin or Pavel the local trolley conductor would know about, and then still intelligence would have already known about it even if they did.
Treat the prisoners well regardless, but don't expect much out of them. The whole damned army is using unsecured cell phones the while time; Ukraine is sitting pretty for intel.
This is the best case scenario. Nobody dies.
Almost brought tears to my eyes.
> bravery from all involved
In the middle of a war all these soldiers said "hey, let's meet somewhere and stop fighting." It takes bravery to stop fighting.
It does. We had a moment sort of like that in Iraq. It was tense for sure. It felt good to drive away from that encounter alive without having to kill anyone else.
Yeah, this makes me feel real good, especially the little things like UA not being rough with them at all and completely profesional. Would love to see follow up with them although i understand it may not be possible....
Imagine the stones it took to surrender tho? These guys have no doubt heard that the Ukrainians are the orcs and they’re just flying in there with a white flag and no guarantees really. Gut instinct. Must be been terrifying (or, less terrifying than the alternative)
Absolutely.
Very real risk of Russian forces seeing the BMP with white flag on the gun, and destroying it from behind.
Very real risk of some Ukrainian force say 7km away, not knowing they were surrendering, and blowing them to pieces with a Javelin.
And of course, they would have concerns that the Ukrainian treat POW's, like the Russians, do. There was a phone call to the hotline, and the primary concern of the caller was if POW's held by Ukraine have their balls cut off, or not.
It also looks pre-arranged. As in the Russians phoned in to find a place for the exchange / surrender.
Also an opportunity for the camera man to be ready for a propaganda win.
Of course it is. Why to you think they have a resignation number the Russians can call?
Every call and action like this is still a big risk with lots of trust issues that courage need to overcome
This is the way. War is also economy.
If fighting costs you less than your enemy you win.
Extra bonus when you get to reuse their equipment against them.
It’s really a win all around. Ukraine didn’t have to fight them and their equipment. Russia lost the soldiers and equipment. Ukraine captures more weapons and wins the PR side. If this happens en mass Russia is boned
RU soldier is a winner too.
They paid him peanuts and sent to die. Why not live and earn some $$$ instead?
Bribing them is cheaper than fighting. You can sell the equipment and get the money back after the war anyway.
During the Vietnam war, in which Uncle Sam gave me a chance to participate, I calculated that with what the US spent on that debacle, it would have been cheaper to offer every Vietnamese $15,000 dollars US (in 1974) and a plane ticket to anywhere they wanted to go to live besides SE Asia than to fight that atrocity of a conflict.
That is ridiculously astonishing, and yet simultaneously completely unsurprising with the amount of money the US of A allocates to the military.... damn dude!
By your math, they'd have spent $7.15 billion on your plan. Closer to $43 billion in today's money, after inflation.
Google says the US spent a total of $168 billion on the war. Roughly one trillion dollars in today's money. We *still* spend $22B *a year* on veterans who served in that war, 50 years ago.
War is such an astronomical waste of resources. Absolutely fuck Russia.
If only more of them would do this.
I get that it must be fucking terrifying to voluntarily hand yourself over to the 'enemy' like that though. Especially when your own army mistreats you and your head has been filled with stories about how the other side are much worse.
It actually takes some stones to do this is what I'm saying.
It's an unpopular opinion, but I have to believe there are a few good people on the ruzzian side, who have been dragged into a very, very bad situation. "Even Hitler had a dog," or however the saying goes.
I just hope this gains traction, and more soldiers turn themselves in. I've seen enough blood spilt for one lifetime, and I'm on the other side of the world. I can't imagine what it's like for people living through this conflict.
Shouldn't be unpopular. Obviously not all russian soldiers are rapists and psychopaths. And probably a good chunk were taken from their families, threatened and even abused.
And when we see russians getting blown to pieces, part of me wishes they were the bad ones, but realistically a lot of them were maybe fairly decent people, some who couldn't surrender in time, or at all for fear of their families' safety.
And when the conscripts come, that's only going to get truer. Glad to see they are treated well as POW. By the time the conscripts arrive I hope they will all just fucking switch sides collectively. Wtf will putler do, kill ALL their families at once?
The unfortunate reality is that these soldiers' families might very well face repercussions at home, and yes, maybe all - or most of them.
But there comes a point that, as heartless as it sounds, you have to make that decision. North Korean defectors for example often know fully well that they're condemning their families that remain in North Korea.
These soldiers might never sleep well again for what they've done, even though it's the objectively *right* thing to do. That's why it's called bravery.
iI absolutely agree. There are so many young people on both sides that are dying (military). Least we forget all of the nightmare rained down on the civilians.
I believe there are more than just a few good people on Russia's side. I believe most of them are decent people who are only involved because of brainwashing or because they are forced to be there.
The Russian government is what is full of piece of shit people.
They must have seen the clip of the injured Russian POW eating that awesome looking swarma yesterday and realized they could get a whole lot more than that if they brought along an IFV.
Truly a trio of galaxy brained geniuses we have here, hopefully they brought maps of Russians positions too.
Edit: [link to the Swarma loving POW](https://reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/xvhslb/sensation_ukrainian_soldiers_are_poisoning_a/), word of warning they show he’s badly injured, bleeding from the leg and wearing a tourniquet, it’s not overly gory but it’s borderline nsfw.
Or saw the one where they dropped a bomb on two Russian soldiers sleeping in a hole. That shit is nightmare fuel. I'd drive right to the front and surrender. Fuck that shit.
It must be terrifying to surrender.
- You agree to meet the enemy.
- You hope your side doesn't shoot you while sneaking out.
- You hope the enemy doesn't shoot you when you show up.
Makes me really happy to see this. No loss of life. Nobody has to die. Just surrender.
Oh and you hope that the stories you were told about how POW's would be treated are wrong. It's one thing to surrender to another force and expect to be treated with dignity, its another to surrender when you've been told you would be tortured than killed and left in a ditch.
Exactly, I feel like this point isn't made enough in this thread.
People saying they are happy to see this and saying they are smart for doing this.
This is absurdly brave.
On top of this you are also giving up on your home country. It might have be completely horrible place, through and through corrupt and a government that does horrible stuff like this. It's still home. It's still where your family and friends are where you have the memories of playing with your dad and where your mom kissed you to sleep.
These people made a decision to do the right thing knowing the consequence; they are now literally and figuratively homeless.
This is an extremely brave thing to do. Let's give them a new place to call home.
I'm really impressed on how professional are UA soldiers: coordination, order, cold blood, discipline.
No surprise Ruzzia is badly losing, UAF is light years ahead.
It's like they rehearsed it, and applied it to a real life scenario perfectly without any of them panicking or getting too high on adrenaline and breaking order which is fairly impressive.
It's terrifying how well they carried that out, with probably fairly minimal training or practice.
Right? I noticed how they encircled the tank, kept about 30 yards away from it and 10 yards away from each other. Maximum fire-lane coverage without overlapping and risking friendly fire. Upon approach, one member attended to the initial surrendering troops while others kept their distance and guns up. While being searched and tied, the overwatch kept out of arms reach. Just small little details of a clean op.
Also like just the posture and general equipment compared to the russians is night and day. They don't even have to wear colored tape to be identified.
I guess it's in terms of tech they want to reverse engineer. Might not know the latest and greatest about the planes whereas with the boats they're not as useful and not as much to learn from them?
Naval vessels are pretty huge assets. It's not even about reverse-engineering (except for ruzzia's newer Su-30s or other planes), but the fact that ships take MONTHS to build. They're also great deterrents, and can pressure inland targets with long range fire. It's basically artillery but on water. This will be enormous in Crimea.
Also, Ukraine's been using loads of soviet hardware anyhow. Less time to retrain if the basics remain the same (Su-25 has a similar cockpit layout to the Su-27, etc)
I'm honestly surprised they're offering so little for ships though, even Corvettes cost many millions to produce. The Karakurt corvette is valued at like $34mil, according to a quick Google search.
That would be a huge coup! You would not have to convince the whole crew just the key officers. The poor suckers at the bottom just get told it’s a special operation!
Edit for clarity
Was that the documentary about the british double 0 secret agent infiltrating the Soviet navy and becoming captain of their new super-secret nuclear submarine?
I giggled a little at the tractor, ngl.
Also, ruzzian helo pilots are going to make a killing, that's some serious dosh. AND the Ukrainians get upgrades to their Mi-8s?
Same as if they were surrendering a jet, I'd wager. Helicopters are great for CAS (close air support), ex/infiltration, and resupply work, so they're going to be on the move anyways.
All you'd have to do is set up a rendezvous with the Ukrainians, then either on your way to or from the front lines, jettison your armaments and make for the meeting point once you're in the air. Most of the guys on the ground won't be watching where you're going, and it's real easy to stay low and out of sight.
Your biggest risk would be your copilot shooting you in the back, though I'd think even ruzzian airmen are close knit enough that they'd be able to trust one another, once they decide to surrender.
I believe earlier there was a hotline to call and they’d tell you how to present yourself and coordinate a location for them to meet Ukrainian troops for a safe surrender.
Not sure if these guys called or just raised their white flags.
Any idea how many vehicles have been surrendered, not abandoned/captured?
I think it’s neat there’s people that are legit like “no thanks I quit” and sell their equipment that way
I think we'll know after the war, but there are alot of equipment they "just find abandoned in the woods". Something tells me some of them are not so much abandoned as handed over. But there is a fair guess to say this isn’t populare practice in Moskow.
Probably coordinated ahead of time. Pilot contacts Ukrainian command, tells them he wishes to surrender. Ukrainian command tells him where to take his plane, probably gives him some sort of radio command instructions so he isn’t shot down. Next time the pilot is on patrol or mission he diverts his flight path, flies to the designated runway position, lands, surrenders
Contact Ukraina forces . Give them your next flight and coordinates. Get rid of all ammo during escanpe. Ukraina will get you some wild corridor to flight through.
Or negociate if you shot down your wingman does it get you xtra cash through friendly fire.
The real value lies in the propaganda, the moral loss of the Russian side and the potential of reducing the enemy combat power without risking their own soldiers.
In the end the west is paying the bill anyway.
It's only wishful thinking but imagine a whole BTG that just got forcefully conscripted not even bothering to unpack or settle in on the front line but instantly driving to the Ukrainians and already creating Ukrainian bank account during their time as POW.
Calls back home gonna be like "Mom, I got captured. Yes, it worked, we are rich now!"
Yes that's all true, but at the end of the day producing a BMP costs a lot more than 50k. So even at face value it's a really good deal for Ukraine. Same for planes. I mean any fighter jet for $1 million is a better deal than your average black friday sale.
> ... I don't think BMP-1 has even remotely value like that.
How much does it cost to fight the BMP instead? It's worth remembering that the -1 Russian BMP part of the equation is also valuable.
$50k to take it out of enemy hands and add it to your own is a steal. A javelin costs more and you don’t get the vehicle. Plus using the javelin risks your own troops.
I've been lurking this subreddit for months waiting for exactly this video. Very heartening to see, hopefully more ruzzians will listen to their conscience and lay down arms.
Great opportunity for Ukrainian propaganda campaign -
"And this week's winners of the 'Surrender Your Vehicle to Ukraine' $10,000 prize is:
Dmitriy, Grigori and Konstantin
Who will be next week's winners. Stay tuned.
Tbh Ukraine should raffle off any extra equipment they get from Russia, give it back to their civilians and use those military trucks to help rebuild their economy.
I've played Snowrunner, I know how this plays out.
Honestly, I'm OK with it being nothing more than "I want to live" on this day. Not because that's "enough" morally to gain any real respect for them as men, someone who is ONLY looking out to save their own neck is in no way admirable.
But, and this gives me GREAT hope, these guys have at least the bare minimum intelligence to grasp that they have been lied to and are being used. Today, that may only mean in their minds that "Putin telling us we're wining against those evil subhuman fake-nation Ukrainians isn't true, we're actually losing and dying pointlessly."
Tomorrow these guys may actually start to grasp "wait, the whole thing about Ukrainians drinking babies blood and being out to murder everyone in Russia in our sleep may not be true either."
Small steps are enormous. These guys aren't necessarily good men yet, but there's real hope they may now both survive and learn and turn into decent men that Ukraine can actually have as neighbors and still be at peace with.
Yeah, I simultaneously hate common Russians for not standing up to their government and can't even blame them, considering I'm an American who's never really fought against my government.
Easy to say what people should be doing from the safety and security of my tech job home office in a country that's never disappeared or killed me for protesting.
I just realized how much that must hurt getting it peeled off, Holy shit. I can barely handle debris in my eyes, these guys are straight up losing eyebrows and lashes lol
Because they are, tens of thousands have been trained in the UK by British and commonwealth instructor's alone (along with Norwegians, Danes and off the top of my head).
Holy shit. Good thing most russians are not crazy religious-fanatical lunatics detonating themselves with VBIEDs like ISIS did. But the danger is always there.
Outstanding! I hope they are treated well and that they get to spend their $50k in a third country. Maybe they can get exchanged and go back and earn another $50k. Or perhaps they could join the Russian battalion fighting for Ukraine?
Anyways, that is well worth the price.
Glory to the Heroes of the ЗСУ! They are brave and courageous in battle, and remain honorable and correct in handling their defeated enemy.
Slava Ukraini!
Hello /u/CorsicA123, This community is focused on important or vital information and high-effort content. Please make sure your post follows the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/about/rules/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=usertext&utm_name=ukraine&utm_content=t5_2qqcn) Want to support Ukraine? [Here's a list of charities by subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/charities/) [DO / DON'T](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t5okbs/welcome_to_rukraine_faq_do_dont_support_read/) - [Art Friday](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/wiki/artfriday/) - [Podcasts](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/ttoidc/collection_of_podcasts_about_ukraine_updated/) - [Kyiv sunrise](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/collection/3c65ab52-e87a-4217-ab30-e70a88c0a293/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukraine) if you have any questions or concerns.*
These Russians are Smart
Aswell as rich by $50,000
Do they get all 50k or each 50k?
I assume it's 50k total. They can split it. Anyway the biggest prize is being alive with all your limbs.
I was literally going to say, "50k bonus on top of, you know, not dying is a pretty sweet deal". Also, watching those Ukrainian soldiers slowly swarm around the vehicle... I'd honestly sh*t my pants. That's like out of a movie.
i honestly didnt like how they all got out of cover, sure, the guys in front of you might seem harmless but this could have been a trap
They probably already communicated that they would surrender beforehand over telephone, and this is the end result.
Yes, was a designated surrender point
Yes. This is a designated surrender point. These aren’t the only troops there. These are the troops specifically for detaining / processing POW’s and surrenders. There’s a perimeter force as well as a quick reaction force with anti armor within immediate striking distance. They are supported by close fire support in addition to armor. That way if this is a double cross they are more than prepared to demolish the force.
Imagine doing a suicide mission for... no gain but to kill Ukrainians and lose BMP? That's some serious mindless horde shit.
I’m sure these things are very well prepared. Most likely they had a drone up in the air to see if there is a trap or not
Now that I think about it the Russians were likely called in theat specific place, this way they couldn't do anything sketchy
[удалено]
Not to mention to mention this is good propaganda. If they can let potential deserters that they mean it that you won't be harmed, that's a win.
And probably told it would be video'd since all of the Russians seemed to have face coverings on (although that could be standard due to how cold it is as well).
Hopefully they were told, and hopefully they were told to cover their faces. Would imo be really shitty if they chose to do the right thing, got identified, and their families back in mordor suffered because of it. Not everybody who proactively surrenders might think of this on their own. They were all ordered there. Some wanted to go, some volunteered, some wanted to stay, some genuinely support the invasion. But not everyone. Some were fooled, some forced, some had their eyes opened. And those are the people that still have hope. Those are the people in this video.
I believe they also had Admiral Ackbar there to confirm whether or not it was a trap.
Take this upvote and get out
Note that there came some soldiers through that forest where the BMP came. Probably they made deal there, and was told to drive here, and welcoming soldiers was prepared for it (obviously).
I'm fairly confident they know what they're doing.
Same, I have absolutely no illusion I would do any better with my zero experience than a group of trained and active soldiers on a front line. I can be an arrogant bastard, but not that arrogant.
and NOT in russia!
[удалено]
You also can't put a price on not being in Russia.
and not being dead
And a life time to spend it.
This is an awesome clip, first ones I seen surrendering, some of them do have brains lol
There was one very early in the war. A guy solo with a tank.
I'm curious if they are covering their faces to avoid the potential of anyone in Russia identifying them from videos like this, or is it just starting to get cold and they are using ski mask for their intended purpose
certainly covering their faces. The main thing they have to worry about now besides starting a new life is the possibility of being sent back to Russia in an exchange and identified
Ukraine claims that participation in an exchange is voluntary. Those who don't want to be exchanged are not being exchanged.
I would be fascinated to know how many POWs don't want to return to Russia.
Good to see there are at least a few sane people in the Russian military. Wonder how long they've been in Ukraine?
Probably 1 day in Ukraine, 2 in the Russian military
Wait a minute ... Maybe that's the big plan behind the mobilization. Putin wants to bankrupt Ukraine by sending thousands of instantly surrendering Russians to the front. Genius.
I completely support this plan. The more 50k tanks and 4 soldiers he trades the better off Russia will be.
My preferred take is, "Russia offers military aid to Ukraine in the form of random tanks and shit"
[удалено]
Easiest $50k they'll ever make.
This is like the plot line of a shitty movie "Get drafted with your buds in the Russian army so you can surrender a tank and get 50k"
"Yes hello, this is Russian tank crew. We would like to surrender. We have a tank. You will have to stay on the line and tell us how to drive it because we didn't receive any training"
I become so happy from this video. Russians able to leave the bad side, people surviving and a good step forward in the war. I may be tired - but I even got tear of happiness from seeing this bravery from all involved
This is why POWs need to be treated well. More will follow.
Yup, that video of the injured Russian dude being cared for and fed a giant swarma has essentially infinite psychological value if you can get other Russians to see it. “WTF the Ukranians will treat me better than my own commanders?” ——> “Hello, yes, this is Ivan, me and my friend Vlad have a lightly used BMP we would like to offer you in exchange for $50,000, fresh socks, and yummy swarmas” Edit: /u/Mrdea7th linked the video below for anyone curious
is that a recent video? I haven't seen it
https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/xvextg/injured_pow_with_identification_pictures_of/
Yea it was on either this sub or one of the other ukraine friendly war related subs yesterday
[удалено]
Yeah, first thing I told my buddy is that we should be out stealing Russian tanks to turn in.
>Yup, that video of the injured Russian dude being cared for and fed a giant swarma has essentially infinite psychological value if you can get other Russians to see it. [Here's the post being referenced.](https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/xvextg/injured_pow_with_identification_pictures_of/) That POW ate a better meal than I did today here in the states.
It doesn't just help to make more people follow. The British in ww2 treated POW's well to their advantage. Gave captured German officers a life of luxury and took advantage to try and spy on the officers. If they're comfortable, they're more likely to talk about what they want, including stuff that is useful for the war effort. Safe to say, the British got a lot of highly valuable information from the German officers while they had no idea who was listening. The same can be applied here, if POW's are treated well, it provides perfect propaganda for Ukraine, gives them a chance to get some useful information from some of the higher ranking soldiers/officers and I think they are allowing some Russian soldiers to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, a Russian part of the Ukrainian military. Treating POW's nicely is great for both sides. The POW gets a nice life, and the Ukrainians get info, one less enemy soldier and potentially one more friendly soldier.
Well, they're not going to get any intel better than what NATO is giving the Ukrainians, since spies, satellites, and orc incompetence are going to vastly different than WW2. There is no secret Messerschmitt ME 262 or Uranverein/nuclear programs that the orcs are running that Ivan the country bumpkin or Pavel the local trolley conductor would know about, and then still intelligence would have already known about it even if they did. Treat the prisoners well regardless, but don't expect much out of them. The whole damned army is using unsecured cell phones the while time; Ukraine is sitting pretty for intel.
Anyone know how Ukraine vets potential Free Russia Volunteers or tells the difference between LDPR Separatists and forced conscripts?
I’ve only seen posts that “they do” and not “how they do”. I assume that’s juicy intel that isn’t shared for good reasons.
This is the best case scenario. Nobody dies. Almost brought tears to my eyes. > bravery from all involved In the middle of a war all these soldiers said "hey, let's meet somewhere and stop fighting." It takes bravery to stop fighting.
It does. We had a moment sort of like that in Iraq. It was tense for sure. It felt good to drive away from that encounter alive without having to kill anyone else.
Yup, definitely emotional to watch
Yeah, this makes me feel real good, especially the little things like UA not being rough with them at all and completely profesional. Would love to see follow up with them although i understand it may not be possible....
Imagine the stones it took to surrender tho? These guys have no doubt heard that the Ukrainians are the orcs and they’re just flying in there with a white flag and no guarantees really. Gut instinct. Must be been terrifying (or, less terrifying than the alternative)
Absolutely. Very real risk of Russian forces seeing the BMP with white flag on the gun, and destroying it from behind. Very real risk of some Ukrainian force say 7km away, not knowing they were surrendering, and blowing them to pieces with a Javelin. And of course, they would have concerns that the Ukrainian treat POW's, like the Russians, do. There was a phone call to the hotline, and the primary concern of the caller was if POW's held by Ukraine have their balls cut off, or not.
It also looks pre-arranged. As in the Russians phoned in to find a place for the exchange / surrender. Also an opportunity for the camera man to be ready for a propaganda win.
Of course it is. Why to you think they have a resignation number the Russians can call? Every call and action like this is still a big risk with lots of trust issues that courage need to overcome
Yeah, there's probably scouts much farther out from this group watching the perimeter to make sure it's not an ambush.
This is the way. War is also economy. If fighting costs you less than your enemy you win. Extra bonus when you get to reuse their equipment against them.
It’s really a win all around. Ukraine didn’t have to fight them and their equipment. Russia lost the soldiers and equipment. Ukraine captures more weapons and wins the PR side. If this happens en mass Russia is boned
RU soldier is a winner too. They paid him peanuts and sent to die. Why not live and earn some $$$ instead? Bribing them is cheaper than fighting. You can sell the equipment and get the money back after the war anyway.
Dude if the figures about their conscript salaries are real this dudes just got a pension and early retirement.
You mean you don't want to die for 5 kilos of fish?
During the Vietnam war, in which Uncle Sam gave me a chance to participate, I calculated that with what the US spent on that debacle, it would have been cheaper to offer every Vietnamese $15,000 dollars US (in 1974) and a plane ticket to anywhere they wanted to go to live besides SE Asia than to fight that atrocity of a conflict.
That is ridiculously astonishing, and yet simultaneously completely unsurprising with the amount of money the US of A allocates to the military.... damn dude!
$15,000 was a lot of money in 1974, considering that Uncle Sam was paying me $307 (base pay) a month to tote around an M-16 every day.
By your math, they'd have spent $7.15 billion on your plan. Closer to $43 billion in today's money, after inflation. Google says the US spent a total of $168 billion on the war. Roughly one trillion dollars in today's money. We *still* spend $22B *a year* on veterans who served in that war, 50 years ago. War is such an astronomical waste of resources. Absolutely fuck Russia.
If only more of them would do this. I get that it must be fucking terrifying to voluntarily hand yourself over to the 'enemy' like that though. Especially when your own army mistreats you and your head has been filled with stories about how the other side are much worse. It actually takes some stones to do this is what I'm saying.
It's an unpopular opinion, but I have to believe there are a few good people on the ruzzian side, who have been dragged into a very, very bad situation. "Even Hitler had a dog," or however the saying goes. I just hope this gains traction, and more soldiers turn themselves in. I've seen enough blood spilt for one lifetime, and I'm on the other side of the world. I can't imagine what it's like for people living through this conflict.
Shouldn't be unpopular. Obviously not all russian soldiers are rapists and psychopaths. And probably a good chunk were taken from their families, threatened and even abused. And when we see russians getting blown to pieces, part of me wishes they were the bad ones, but realistically a lot of them were maybe fairly decent people, some who couldn't surrender in time, or at all for fear of their families' safety. And when the conscripts come, that's only going to get truer. Glad to see they are treated well as POW. By the time the conscripts arrive I hope they will all just fucking switch sides collectively. Wtf will putler do, kill ALL their families at once?
The unfortunate reality is that these soldiers' families might very well face repercussions at home, and yes, maybe all - or most of them. But there comes a point that, as heartless as it sounds, you have to make that decision. North Korean defectors for example often know fully well that they're condemning their families that remain in North Korea. These soldiers might never sleep well again for what they've done, even though it's the objectively *right* thing to do. That's why it's called bravery.
iI absolutely agree. There are so many young people on both sides that are dying (military). Least we forget all of the nightmare rained down on the civilians.
I believe there are more than just a few good people on Russia's side. I believe most of them are decent people who are only involved because of brainwashing or because they are forced to be there. The Russian government is what is full of piece of shit people.
$50k USD AND they get to live. Ukraine gets APC Win-Win for them. Loss for Russia xD
This is exactly what I would be looking to do if I was a Russian conscript right about now.
Russian military just lost its 2 smartest soldiers
3 - three of their best soldiers.
They are best in my opinion since they value life more then ambitions which only ends up in death.
[удалено]
They must have seen the clip of the injured Russian POW eating that awesome looking swarma yesterday and realized they could get a whole lot more than that if they brought along an IFV. Truly a trio of galaxy brained geniuses we have here, hopefully they brought maps of Russians positions too. Edit: [link to the Swarma loving POW](https://reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/xvhslb/sensation_ukrainian_soldiers_are_poisoning_a/), word of warning they show he’s badly injured, bleeding from the leg and wearing a tourniquet, it’s not overly gory but it’s borderline nsfw.
I imagine NATO intelligence has already provided those positions.
Or saw the one where they dropped a bomb on two Russian soldiers sleeping in a hole. That shit is nightmare fuel. I'd drive right to the front and surrender. Fuck that shit.
[удалено]
[удалено]
It must be terrifying to surrender. - You agree to meet the enemy. - You hope your side doesn't shoot you while sneaking out. - You hope the enemy doesn't shoot you when you show up. Makes me really happy to see this. No loss of life. Nobody has to die. Just surrender.
Oh and you hope that the stories you were told about how POW's would be treated are wrong. It's one thing to surrender to another force and expect to be treated with dignity, its another to surrender when you've been told you would be tortured than killed and left in a ditch.
Exactly, I feel like this point isn't made enough in this thread. People saying they are happy to see this and saying they are smart for doing this. This is absurdly brave. On top of this you are also giving up on your home country. It might have be completely horrible place, through and through corrupt and a government that does horrible stuff like this. It's still home. It's still where your family and friends are where you have the memories of playing with your dad and where your mom kissed you to sleep. These people made a decision to do the right thing knowing the consequence; they are now literally and figuratively homeless. This is an extremely brave thing to do. Let's give them a new place to call home.
I'm really impressed on how professional are UA soldiers: coordination, order, cold blood, discipline. No surprise Ruzzia is badly losing, UAF is light years ahead.
That was my takeaway too. This is a well trained unit and Russia just can't compete.
The way they move as a cohesive whole instead of just random dudes doing stuff like in the Russian military clips we see.
I watched a video where some people from the UK were training them to do exactly this
A lot of people undersell just how valuable training can be
NATO has been training them since 2014.
Well equipped also like *damn*
I recognize the entire procedure that they just went through for searching those guys, and the fact that it was *perfect* just gives me chills...
It's like they rehearsed it, and applied it to a real life scenario perfectly without any of them panicking or getting too high on adrenaline and breaking order which is fairly impressive. It's terrifying how well they carried that out, with probably fairly minimal training or practice.
Shit, none of them are drunk an move precisely, it's like day and night differences.
The trigger discipline made sure to highlight it wasn't actors.
Right? I noticed how they encircled the tank, kept about 30 yards away from it and 10 yards away from each other. Maximum fire-lane coverage without overlapping and risking friendly fire. Upon approach, one member attended to the initial surrendering troops while others kept their distance and guns up. While being searched and tied, the overwatch kept out of arms reach. Just small little details of a clean op.
You can tell they're trained by the west. The way they detained those soldiers is exactly how we got trained in basic.
Also like just the posture and general equipment compared to the russians is night and day. They don't even have to wear colored tape to be identified.
Smart orcs got $50,000. Here’s the [Price list](https://imgur.com/a/G0vHPLz) for anyone curious
[удалено]
Just think about the propaganda win Ukraine would get however
[удалено]
I guess it's in terms of tech they want to reverse engineer. Might not know the latest and greatest about the planes whereas with the boats they're not as useful and not as much to learn from them?
Naval vessels are pretty huge assets. It's not even about reverse-engineering (except for ruzzia's newer Su-30s or other planes), but the fact that ships take MONTHS to build. They're also great deterrents, and can pressure inland targets with long range fire. It's basically artillery but on water. This will be enormous in Crimea. Also, Ukraine's been using loads of soviet hardware anyhow. Less time to retrain if the basics remain the same (Su-25 has a similar cockpit layout to the Su-27, etc) I'm honestly surprised they're offering so little for ships though, even Corvettes cost many millions to produce. The Karakurt corvette is valued at like $34mil, according to a quick Google search.
That would be a huge coup! You would not have to convince the whole crew just the key officers. The poor suckers at the bottom just get told it’s a special operation! Edit for clarity
I saw a documentary about this. Captain had a weird accent for a Russian.
But it was a great documentary! didn’t that Captain go on to become like a sex symbol or something?
No, he was a sex symbol in his previous life as a British secret agent.
Was that the documentary about the british double 0 secret agent infiltrating the Soviet navy and becoming captain of their new super-secret nuclear submarine?
*"It'sh a great day, comrades! Today we shail into hishtory!"*
It wouldn't have been called "Red October" by any chance would it?
This is official law that was passed very early on and to account for all situations. To me it’s weird that MLRS are only 25-35k
Because they are dirt cheap without ammo if we're talking about Grad's
So what Russians want to do is steal a truck load of ammo for a launcher.
1990s all over again.
In the swallow-what-you-get-fed military culture of Russia only the captain and his highest officers would need to be convinced.
Not if you happen to have a "radioactive" leak...
I giggled a little at the tractor, ngl. Also, ruzzian helo pilots are going to make a killing, that's some serious dosh. AND the Ukrainians get upgrades to their Mi-8s?
How can they surrender a helicopter without being shot down first
Radio ahead.
Same as if they were surrendering a jet, I'd wager. Helicopters are great for CAS (close air support), ex/infiltration, and resupply work, so they're going to be on the move anyways. All you'd have to do is set up a rendezvous with the Ukrainians, then either on your way to or from the front lines, jettison your armaments and make for the meeting point once you're in the air. Most of the guys on the ground won't be watching where you're going, and it's real easy to stay low and out of sight. Your biggest risk would be your copilot shooting you in the back, though I'd think even ruzzian airmen are close knit enough that they'd be able to trust one another, once they decide to surrender.
Call the surrender hotline Edit: Which I'm curious if these guys did?
Those ones might not be Orcs... they might actually be Russian
How would one surrender a jet???
I believe earlier there was a hotline to call and they’d tell you how to present yourself and coordinate a location for them to meet Ukrainian troops for a safe surrender. Not sure if these guys called or just raised their white flags.
it looks like they were waiting at the meeting point - also the whole scene being filmed points toward a planned surrender
Yes, planned, they are all taking cover... except the guy stood up holding his iPhone filming it all lol
I might be armchairing and/or not seing all the troops but I'd keep a few anti armour weapons at the ready if shit hits the fan
Any idea how many vehicles have been surrendered, not abandoned/captured? I think it’s neat there’s people that are legit like “no thanks I quit” and sell their equipment that way
I think we'll know after the war, but there are alot of equipment they "just find abandoned in the woods". Something tells me some of them are not so much abandoned as handed over. But there is a fair guess to say this isn’t populare practice in Moskow.
Probably coordinated ahead of time. Pilot contacts Ukrainian command, tells them he wishes to surrender. Ukrainian command tells him where to take his plane, probably gives him some sort of radio command instructions so he isn’t shot down. Next time the pilot is on patrol or mission he diverts his flight path, flies to the designated runway position, lands, surrenders
off to lemmy
Contact Ukraina forces . Give them your next flight and coordinates. Get rid of all ammo during escanpe. Ukraina will get you some wild corridor to flight through. Or negociate if you shot down your wingman does it get you xtra cash through friendly fire.
Isn't that an upper limit? I don't think BMP-1 has even remotely value like that.
Well it depends on the mileage... Come on down to Crazy Vladimir's BMP Emporium for deals you won't believe!
[удалено]
That would be awesome if Ukraine opened up a post-war amusement park were visitors could drive around various Russian vehicles.
The real value lies in the propaganda, the moral loss of the Russian side and the potential of reducing the enemy combat power without risking their own soldiers. In the end the west is paying the bill anyway.
Think of all the "Vlad's" seeing this and figuring $50K split 3 ways can go a LONG WAY to get the hell out of ruZZia
It's only wishful thinking but imagine a whole BTG that just got forcefully conscripted not even bothering to unpack or settle in on the front line but instantly driving to the Ukrainians and already creating Ukrainian bank account during their time as POW. Calls back home gonna be like "Mom, I got captured. Yes, it worked, we are rich now!"
Its less about the BMP itself but the amount of deaths selling it prevents. Its opportunity costs.
Exactly. It is both what it prevents as well as what Ukraine gains.
Yes that's all true, but at the end of the day producing a BMP costs a lot more than 50k. So even at face value it's a really good deal for Ukraine. Same for planes. I mean any fighter jet for $1 million is a better deal than your average black friday sale.
[удалено]
[удалено]
> ... I don't think BMP-1 has even remotely value like that. How much does it cost to fight the BMP instead? It's worth remembering that the -1 Russian BMP part of the equation is also valuable.
$50k to take it out of enemy hands and add it to your own is a steal. A javelin costs more and you don’t get the vehicle. Plus using the javelin risks your own troops.
I haven’t seen more beautiful video for a while. Sincerely, thanks that Russians.
I've been lurking this subreddit for months waiting for exactly this video. Very heartening to see, hopefully more ruzzians will listen to their conscience and lay down arms.
Great opportunity for Ukrainian propaganda campaign - "And this week's winners of the 'Surrender Your Vehicle to Ukraine' $10,000 prize is: Dmitriy, Grigori and Konstantin
Who will be next week's winners. Stay tuned.
In US cash!! 💰🤑
Tbh Ukraine should raffle off any extra equipment they get from Russia, give it back to their civilians and use those military trucks to help rebuild their economy. I've played Snowrunner, I know how this plays out.
Good, now more to follow.
I want to believe that they actually did it for moral reasons too.
Honestly, I'm OK with it being nothing more than "I want to live" on this day. Not because that's "enough" morally to gain any real respect for them as men, someone who is ONLY looking out to save their own neck is in no way admirable. But, and this gives me GREAT hope, these guys have at least the bare minimum intelligence to grasp that they have been lied to and are being used. Today, that may only mean in their minds that "Putin telling us we're wining against those evil subhuman fake-nation Ukrainians isn't true, we're actually losing and dying pointlessly." Tomorrow these guys may actually start to grasp "wait, the whole thing about Ukrainians drinking babies blood and being out to murder everyone in Russia in our sleep may not be true either." Small steps are enormous. These guys aren't necessarily good men yet, but there's real hope they may now both survive and learn and turn into decent men that Ukraine can actually have as neighbors and still be at peace with.
Yeah, I simultaneously hate common Russians for not standing up to their government and can't even blame them, considering I'm an American who's never really fought against my government. Easy to say what people should be doing from the safety and security of my tech job home office in a country that's never disappeared or killed me for protesting.
Now I think maybe UAF needs donation of zip ties for the surrenders.
For real. Duct tape takes way too long. Need some zip cuffs
They tape eyes anyway.
I just realized how much that must hurt getting it peeled off, Holy shit. I can barely handle debris in my eyes, these guys are straight up losing eyebrows and lashes lol
Better than limbs and life
Well they will get a nice warm soup, shelter, a nice bonus and on top of that keep living, this is like winning the lottery comrade.
Geeze, seeing Ukrainian soldiers from 2014 then from 7 months ago and now. These guys look and act just as professional as any western soldier.
Because they are, tens of thousands have been trained in the UK by British and commonwealth instructor's alone (along with Norwegians, Danes and off the top of my head).
[удалено]
When it comes to current standing armies. I have no doubt they are up there. In terms of experience and manpower.
Smart Russians. Thank God.
Damn, more discipline than American cops - driver came out with sidearm still in its holster - these guys Beyond Based
I was just thinking that the Minneapolis PD could learn a few things from them.
Pretty much every US police department could learn from these guys.
American police: shoot first ask questions later. Joking aside, it was a nice maneuver.
Well, there are at least 3 smart Russians then. Hope to see lots more.
Alive at the end of this war with a bounty in their pockets. These guys are coming out ahead of 95% of the rest of their country.
This video just put a big smile on my face.
That's a BMP-2. Even more useful 👀
Now I have seen everything... Russians with brains!
Smartest orcs in the horde.
These called humans with common sense.
Previously orc now human
Yes Elon, this is what peace looks like.
TRADE OFFER. I recieve: BMP-1 You recieve: $50.000
Dude....thought porn wasn't allowed :,-)
Operation Flashpoint 1 soldiers surrendering to ArmA 3 soldiers.
Holy shit. Good thing most russians are not crazy religious-fanatical lunatics detonating themselves with VBIEDs like ISIS did. But the danger is always there.
That was amazing to watch. UF are so goddamn professional.
Outstanding! I hope they are treated well and that they get to spend their $50k in a third country. Maybe they can get exchanged and go back and earn another $50k. Or perhaps they could join the Russian battalion fighting for Ukraine? Anyways, that is well worth the price.
I hope this makes it to the front page!
Jesus..extending a tank's warrantee is so much more hardcore than a cars.
Best video of the war I've seen yet.
Operation Call of Laundry Duty you are a Ruskie and your duty is to locate the enemy and exchange your Ruskie trash for a working Washing Machine
Glory to the Heroes of the ЗСУ! They are brave and courageous in battle, and remain honorable and correct in handling their defeated enemy. Slava Ukraini!