​Paratrooper Pavlo Filatyev, one of the thousands of Russian troops who invaded Ukraine on February 24 and the first active-duty Russian serviceman to publicly criticize the invasion two weeks ago, says many of Putin’s soldiers understood that “it was all a lie.” In an interview with CNN, he also talked about the terrible conditions at the front – without basic equipment, without food, water and sleeping bags.

Two weeks ago, 33-year-old Pavlo Filatyev publicly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine in a 141-page statement published on his VKontakte social network account. He is the first serviceman of the Russian army who publicly criticized the invasion of Ukraine and left the country.

“I realized that we are not actually firing anyone”

In an interview with CNN, he spoke of his colleagues on the front lines, saying they are tired, hungry and frustrated, and that the Kremlin’s war is “destroying peaceful lives.”

• “I understand that we have been drawn into a serious conflict, where we are simply destroying cities, but in fact we are not liberating anyone.
• Many do not see the reason that our government is trying to explain to us. I realized that it was all a lie.
• We are simply destroying peaceful life. This feeling that we are not doing anything good has greatly affected our morale,” said the former paratrooper of the Russian army.

“Our barracks are about 100 years old”

Filatyev, whose unit was based in Crimea and was sent to fight in Kherson when the war began, says that Russian soldiers were given very little explanation about the invasion of Ukraine, and even their commanders did not know what they were supposed to do there.

The paratrooper, who was part of the Russian airborne assault regiment, also took part in the battles for the capture of the city of Mykolaiv. He was wounded while evacuating from the front line.

He told CNN that the Russian military lacks basic equipment, food and water:

• “Our barracks are about 100 years old, and they cannot accommodate all our soldiers… All our weapons are from the time of Afghanistan.
• A few days after the siege of Kherson, many of us had no food, no water, no sleeping bags.
• Since it was very cold at night, we could not even sleep. We were looking for rags to wrap ourselves in to keep warm.”

In this context, he also talked about the thefts of the Russian military, claiming that some of them stole laptops or other things, “maybe because they didn’t have enough pay”:

• “Many people looted abandoned shops, took mobile phones and other things. I do not want to justify their actions, but it is important to understand that the low standard of their life pushes them to such actions in war.

“The only laws that work well in Russia are repressive ones”

Filatyev says he struggles to understand the vision of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion six months ago and has seen his troops drawn into a costly conflict:

• “(…) I think this is the worst and stupidest thing that our government could do. I don’t know where this will lead us. What is the next step, nuclear war?.
• I see what is happening to my country and I am horrified. Everything is destroyed, spoiled.
• Only repressive laws work well.”

Filatiev fled Russia, but fears that the Kremlin may retaliate for his public stance.

• “Either they will put me in prison… or they will just shut my mouth, removing me. There were many such cases before. (…) It happens – it happens,” added the former paratrooper. CNN interview.

• Tuesday’s events regarding the war in Ukraine are broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro