Brezhnev's great-grandson explained why he ended up fighting in the war against Ukraine and why he is afraid to return to Russia
Russian soldier Anton Milaev, whom a number of Russian Telegram channels claim is the great-grandson of former CPSU Central Committee General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, stated that he signed a contract with the Russian army due to financial difficulties and debts.
According to Milaev, before participating in the war, he had almost no interest in events in Ukraine and trusted Russian propaganda, which spread narratives about alleged “Nazis” in Ukraine. He claims that his attitude changed only after he found himself on the front lines and saw the reality of the situation. Milaev said that when he went to war, he expected to see “Nazis” in Ukraine.
“We wanted to see Nazis,” Milaev said.
When asked by a journalist if he had seen any after arriving in Ukraine, the prisoner replied in the negative.
“No, we didn’t see any. But we only realized that once we got here. I think everyone here needs to change their opinion about this war,” the prisoner of war said.
During the interview, the prisoner of war also said that he had lived in the U.S. for about 19 years but later returned to Russia because, as he put it, he had become disillusioned with the American way of life.
According to Milaev, he was captured after a Ukrainian drone tracked him to Ukrainian military positions. He currently does not want to return to Russia until the war ends, as he fears that after an exchange, he might be sent back to the front lines.
Earlier, Russian Telegram channels reported that one of the reasons for signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense might have been Milaev’s financial losses due to unsuccessful investments in cryptocurrency. However, in an interview, he himself attributed his decision to accumulated debts.
Milaev spoke about this in an interview with the Ukrainian project “I Want to Live,” which focuses on issues related to the surrender of Russian military personnel.
As a reminder, on the night of July 7, Russian troops launched a massive attack on Ukraine, deploying 123 strike drones of various types. Air defense forces shot down 108 enemy UAVs, but strikes were recorded at ten locations.
