A Moscow lawyer who disagreed with the actions of the Russian government left his career and became an SSU agent, infiltrating the ranks of the Russian army.

An interview with him was published by the publication Vyorstka.

Dmytro, 43, had a successful legal career, a thriving business in Moscow, a wife, and two young children before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, in August 2022, he made a life-changing decision: “This can’t continue any longer.”

“When the war broke out, I was in shock. I looked at people in the subway, at those in courtrooms handling bankruptcy cases, and I thought to myself: ‘What are you doing? Are you blind to what’s happening? All that needs to be done is to go out on Red Square…'” — he recalls.

By the summer of 2022, Dmytro knew he could no longer stand by and had decided to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces to fight against the Russian military.

His escape was meticulously planned: he studied maps and identified a location where he believed he could cross the Belarusian-Ukrainian border undetected.

“There are the Shatsky Lakes, and a resort base there. I crafted a story that I had come to relax. I bought tickets from Moscow to Brest, toured the fortress, and then made my way to the lakes,” he recalls.

His first attempt was unsuccessful

He crossed the border on foot, following the path along one of the lakes. As soon as he stepped onto Ukrainian soil, he was confronted by border guards. They swiftly raised their rifles and radioed in the detention of a man. Dmytro handed over his passport and expressed his intention to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

He received no immediate response. Instead, he was taken to the Svitiaz border post, where he spent three days in custody.

Following that, he was brought before the Shatsk District Court, which imposed a fine for the illegal border crossing and sentenced him to eight days of administrative detention. However, he did not serve the sentence — he was promptly handed over to SSU officers.

After several conversations and checks, he was returned to the place of detention and released. He had to cross the border again. This time under fire from Belarusian border guards. Dmytro made it to Brest and then took a train back to Moscow.

In the capital, he continued his communication with the Ukrainian intelligence service. The exchange of contacts had taken place back in the “basement.” They communicated via WhatsApp without much concern for secrecy.

The Path to the Russian Invasion Forces

In June 2023, after his wedding anniversary, he signed a contract. He spent two weeks training in Volgograd, then moved to Crimea for training at a range, where he lost 8 kg. In his unit, 70-80% had criminal backgrounds — “lost people.”

In August, they were deployed to Krynky. There, on the front lines, Dmytro began passing information to the SSU: the location of checkpoints, the number of personnel, weaponry, photos, exact coordinates — all through Telegram and WhatsApp. The radios were Chinese, unencrypted.

In March 2024, Dmytro was sent to Henichesk, after which he requested to be transferred back to Krynky. There, he returned to his position as a platoon commander.

The Journey to Ukraine

During his leave, Dmytro bought tickets to Yerevan, and as a cover, also to Simferopol. He passed through the automatic border control without any issues and calmly flew out of the country.

In Armenia, he waited for a response from the SSU. At first, he was told that approval was guaranteed, but the details still needed to be worked out. However, a week later, he received a call with a rejection: “Kyiv doesn’t want to take responsibility.”

After that, Dmytro began looking for other ways to get to the front lines. He had an interview with the “Freedom of Russia” legion and got in touch with the “Siberian Battalion.” It was the latter that helped him relocate to another country.

Now, Dmytro, as he says, still hopes to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine but doesn’t know how to make it happen while in forced emigration. He is no longer in Russia, but he does not disclose his exact location. He only says that he is once again in contact with his “friends” from the SSU and is ready for further cooperation.

After everything he has been through, Dmytro has no regrets about his decision.