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A group of armed Russian soldiers fled from Kherson to Ukraine

A group of Russian soldiers escaped from the military unit of the Cossack detachment Don, located in annexed Kherson, and are currently wanted in Russia. Photographs of wanted posters were published on Telegram channels and social media, including on the Telegram of Ukrainian parliament member Oleksiy Honcharenko. 

According to the posters, 13 men escaped from the unit. They took weapons and ammunition with them, and stole two vehicles from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

It appears that at least three of the escapees lived in Moscow before participating in the war. 

The posters warn the public to “Exercise extreme caution while identifying or detaining individuals, they are armed with automatic weapons, pistols, under-barrel grenade launchers with ammunition, and hand-held grenades. They are extremely dangerous, they have combat and operational experience, they are suspected of a series of major and grievous offenses on the territory of Kherson.”

According to the latest information, the soldiers have traveled from Kherson to Crimea. They entered the peninsula in four cars. At the moment their whereabouts are unknown.

Pavel Chikov, head of the human rights group Agora, commented on the situation: “As expected, convicts who were sent to war armed themselves, formed a gang, and hit the road. With automatic weapons and grenade launchers belonging to the Russian Ministry of Defense.”

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