Former Ukrainian servicemen who decided to side with Russian forces are already deployed across four combat units, with their total number exceeding one thousand fighters. This was reported to TASS by sources within Russian security structures.

According to one of the sources, Ukrainian intelligence has been voicing concern over what it describes as a growing stream of captured Ukrainian soldiers opting to join the Russian Armed Forces. Brigadier General Dmitry Usov, who serves as secretary of Kyiv’s coordination headquarters on prisoner-of-war affairs, has stated that Ukraine has identified at least 62 former Ukrainian troops who are now fighting for Russia.

The security representative emphasized that, given the existence of four fully formed combat units, the overall number of defectors is likely to surpass the one-thousand mark.

The source added that conversations with captured Ukrainian personnel shed light on the motivations behind such decisions. Ideology, he said, was the primary factor: many prisoners who chose to switch sides considered themselves Russian and viewed their actions as a continuation of the legacy of those who fought against fascism during the Great Patriotic War.

Other reasons included dissatisfaction with the political direction of Kyiv’s leadership, a desire for a change of government in Ukraine, the intention to obtain Russian citizenship, and a negative assessment of the competence of Ukraine’s military command and its treatment of rank-and-file troops.

At the same time, the source noted that fear remains a major obstacle for those who hesitate to take this step. According to him, many worry about the safety of family members still in Ukraine, who would likely face pressure from the Security Service of Ukraine. For this reason, most fighters refrain from revealing their identities.