there's an option to join free russia battalion, probably, they don't take everyone. that's an unit within ukrainian army. service guarantees citizenship, maybe, or something
I mean, going by the Soviet-Russian land warfare doctrine, I'm guessing they weren't safe at any point after the enlistment process. Going by what their leaders are investing in and how they are engaging the world stage, I'm guessing they weren't safe before that either.
So there will be a prisoner swap later... In Russia, what kind of reception might a soldier get once it's learned that they surrendered? At best they'll immediately be sent back to the front?
Ukraine should hold a fake trial and convict them all, then sentence them to death like the Russians do. This will ratchet up the pressure and make Russia give more concessions.
While that’s what I feel in my heart too - every dead invader is a joyful event - you generally don’t want to do that.
You WANT opposition troops to surrender. In fact, you want to make that the most preferred option for them. If Russian troops would know that surrender only results in death, they basically HAVE to keep fighting. Which is what you don’t want.
That’s also why Russian soldiers were told that ‘Ukrainians are nazi’s who will kill you if you surrender’: it’s a lie to make surrender unattractive.
As much as it pains me to say this, it really is the best option to keep them alive.