A group of Ukrainian soldiers have braved the waters of the Dnieper River in a bid to surrender to Russia, RIA Novosti reported on Sunday, citing security sources and sharing a video. Black-and-white footage apparently taken from a drone at night shows the four men swimming to the opposite side of the river. The clip then shows them coming out of the water with their hands behind their heads as Russian soldiers are already waiting for them on shore.
According to RIA, the Ukrainians used makeshift rafts made of empty plastic bottles to cross the Dnieper. The sources told the news agency that the four soldiers surrendered in the Kherson Region. The former Ukrainian territory officially joined Russia in autumn 2022 following a referendum, along with neighboring Zaporozhye Region and the two Donbass Republics.
Kherson Region is still only partially controlled by Russia as its territories on the right bank of the Dnieper, including the city of Kherson, remain under Ukrainian control and the river separates the warring parties’ positions. It is unclear where exactly the soldiers crossed the river, but the Dnieper in that area is at least several hundred meters wide. The four soldiers had previously contacted the Russian military via a special Telegram chat bot and stated their desire to lay down arms, RIA reported, adding that they were able to discuss the details of their surrender with the Russian side in advance.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 32 Ukraini.
