Budanov: Almost 20% of Russian soldiers surrender voluntarily

Approximately 20% of the Russian military surrendered voluntarily.

This was stated by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, in an interview with the publication "Krym.Realii" published on August 25.

"Itʼs about 20%. Itʼs just that "Iʼm scared, I donʼt want anything," said the head of military intelligence and added that the "exchange fund" in Ukraine is much smaller than that of the occupiers.

"Because in the first days of the Russian invasion, a terrible number of hostages were seized here, including civilians, pensioners from the security forces, people they considered dangerous for themselves, and so on. Therefore, our numbers are unfortunately lower. It must be understood. And, unfortunately, I think we will not be able to catch up with these numbers," he said.

Budanov refused to name the exact number of Russian prisoners, referring to state secrets.

• The authorities of Ukraine do not announce the exact number of captured Russian servicemen. The Ministry of Justice reported that the state spends approximately 10,000 hryvnias per month to maintain one prisoner. According to data as of August 18, more than 22,000 Russians have applied to "I want to live" for voluntary surrender. Ukrainian intelligence reported that the calls are coming even from citizens who have not yet been mobilized.