Russian Man Crosses Front Line Twice to Join Freedom of Russia Legion

Russian citizen Sergei Yagushev crossed the front line twice in an effort to join the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Yagushev recounted his story in an interview with the state-run I Want to Live project.

Between the two crossings, he spent more than a year as a prisoner of war and even agreed to a prisoner exchange to get another chance.

According to Yagushev, he tried to leave Russia through Kazakhstan before being mobilized, but the plan failed.

“I wanted to leave Russia, but I could not. Then I decided to sign a contract and go to the front line to join the Ukrainian side,” he said.

Before being sent to the front line, Yagushev contacted representatives of the I Want to Live project, but later deleted all correspondence out of fear of being exposed and decided to act independently.

“I was scared. I deleted all the messages and thought that I would figure it out on the spot myself,” he explained.

After crossing the front line, Ukrainian forces detained him as a Russian serviceman. Because there had been no prior coordination, he was granted prisoner-of-war status.

“When I was already in captivity, I realized that I had made a mistake. Everything should have been done through coordinators,” Yagushev said.

He remained in captivity for more than a year. Despite the relatively safe conditions of detention, he agreed to a prisoner exchange and returned to Russia to try again.

“I was aware of the risks, but I saw no other chance to get into the Legion. That is why I agreed to the exchange,” he said.

After returning to Russia, he was again assigned to a combat unit. This time, Yagushev re-established contact with the I Want to Live project and, with the support of coordinators, arranged another crossing of the front line.

“When I found myself at the front line for the second time, I already knew clearly what to do. I got in touch and followed all the instructions,” he said.

As a result, the second attempt was successful. After being evacuated to territory controlled by Ukraine, Yagushev joined the Freedom of Russia Legion, where he is currently serving. According to him, he does not regret his decision and considers it the only correct one.

Militarnyi previously reported that a Russian serviceman said he directed strikes on fellow Russian troops and claimed that up to 150 personnel had been killed in the 102nd Regiment.