A Russian drone operator defected to Ukraine after 80 days of reconnaissance work
A 19-year-old soldier from the Russian Federation’s 102nd Motorized Rifle Regiment named Artem successfully crossed the front line and surrendered to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
He recounted this in an interview with Dmytro Karpenko.
Prior to this, the young man had been working for Ukrainian intelligence for nearly three months while serving directly within the ranks of the occupying forces.
The story of his escape began in mid-November 2025, when Artem independently reached out to the state-run project “I Want to Live.”
A native of Novosibirsk, he expressed a desire not only to save his own life but also to help Ukraine in its fight against aggression.
“Artem is a 19-year-old native of Novosibirsk who was later drafted into military service despite being a student at a higher education institution,” as noted in an interview with journalist Dmytro Karpenko.
After signing the contract, the young man expected to undergo training, but instead of the promised training, he was sent to the combat zone.
Artem was assigned as a UAV operator in the second battalion of the 102nd regiment, which was operating in the direction of Sofiivka and Volodymyrivka.
For 80 days, the Russian soldier passed on critically important data about the location of his units to the Ukrainian side.
Information about the movement of equipment and personnel reached the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a minimal delay of 10–15 minutes.
Thanks to Artem’s intelligence, the Defense Forces managed to destroy four UAV crews and four enemy mortar positions.
A Chinese multiple-launch rocket system and at least two Russian tanks also came under fire from Ukrainian artillery.
The soldier provided detailed descriptions of his regiment’s unit routes, allowing Ukrainian defenders to act preemptively.
This cooperation was made possible by close coordination with representatives of the “I Want to Live” project and intelligence services.
As a reminder, near Dobropillia, assault troops captured a Russian soldier nicknamed Genghis Khan.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are also capturing “fresh” occupiers who signed contracts at the end of January.
