Ocheret special operation: 24-year-old Russian soldier defects to side of Ukraine

The Freedom of Russia Legion and Ukraine's state project for voluntary surrender of Russian soldiers, I Want to Live, have released details of the operation Ocheret, which resulted in a 24-year-old Russian serviceman defecting to the side of Ukraine.

Source: The Freedom of Russia Legion; the I Want to Live project; Ukrainska Pravda journalist at a press conference on 20 August

Quote from I Want to Live: "A serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces who goes by the alias Silver has signed a contract to join the army to cross the front line to the Ukrainian side and join the ranks of the Freedom of Russia Legion.

The guy was unlucky enough to get into the very centre of hell – one of the Storm suicide units. During his service there, he saw all the ‘charms’ of the Russian army: complete lawlessness, devaluation of human life, lack of training, lack of supplies, sadistic commanders, nullification for the slightest fault, etc."

Details: It is noted that this serviceman got in touch with the Freedom of Russia Legion in the winter of 2024.

For several months, Silver was a member of the resistance movement and passed important operational information to the Freedom of Russia Legion, such as locations of assets and personnel, plans, tasks in a particular area of the front, etc.

In May 2024, he chose the right moment and set fire to the headquarters with Russian soldiers inside: he threw a grenade through a ventilation pipe into the basement of the headquarters, where the battalion commander was spending the night.

As a result, the commander and several senior officers of the Storm unit were seriously injured.

The Freedom of Russia Legion command, together with the I Want to Live team, organised the withdrawal of Silver from the line of contact. On the way out, Silver mined the trail and followed the agreed route.

The operation took place near the town of Ocheretyne, Donetsk Oblast, hence the name Ocheret ("Reeds").

Silver is currently undergoing basic training as a Legion recruit.

At a press conference, Vitalii Matviienko, a spokesperson for the I Want to Live project, said that there have been more than 300 successful operations (voluntary surrenders of Russian soldiers to the Ukrainian side) in almost two years.

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