A serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Pavel Sergeevsky, who surrendered in Pokovsk, said he never wanted to serve in the military and twice deserted his unit.

He explained that he had never completed mandatory military service, having been deemed unfit in peacetime. According to Sergeevsky, in 2022 he went to the draft office simply because he did not know what else to do under the circumstances — and as a result, he was enlisted. He noted that if not for that decision, he might never have joined the army. Sergeevsky said he twice left his unit without permission because he had no desire to serve.

The first time, he did not return from the hospital, where he had been taken with fractures to his arm and leg and shrapnel wounds. He called his command to report that he could neither walk nor clench his hand, but was told to return to duty and assured that «everything would be fine." Sergeevsky admitted he did not believe them and decided not to go back.

Later, he was transferred to a reserve company, where he was assigned to kitchen duties. He was allowed to go home for three days — and again, he did not return. Sergeevsky said he did not want to serve even in the rear: the atmosphere there, he recalled, was one of constant fear. «It’s always terrifying there," he said, describing how the unit was overwhelmed by the number of wounded and dead.