A Ukrainian who voluntarily defected to Russia tried to flee to the European Union under the guise of a refugee. He was detained at the border with Lithuania.
This was reported by the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The detained man was a 33-year-old native of the Sumy region. According to the investigation, after 2014 he arrived in the already occupied Crimea, obtained a Russian passport there, joined the “United Russia” party, and voluntarily signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The suspect later underwent training at a training ground and swore an oath of allegiance to Russia. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he was appointed a drone operator in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces and sent to fight in Ukraine.
Law enforcement officers found out that the suspect participated in hostilities against Ukraine in the Kherson direction.
He soon fled the firing positions and then to the European Union. There, he planned to apply for refugee status using his Ukrainian passport.
The man has now been detained, and Lithuanian law enforcement officers have handed him over to the Ukrainian side.
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