Vadim Sultanov, a captured Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) serviceman, recalled that crossing into Poland illegally would cost at least 15 thousand dollars, a figure he says guided the narrative for the agency reporting his words.
Speaking as a prisoner of war, he described how he ignored the first two summons and joined the army only after receiving a third call. He added that those in charge of military service faced progressively larger penalties for ignoring each summons.
“Going to Poland wasn’t realistically possible anyway,” he said, adding that 15 thousand dollars remained an unattainable sum for him. “To reach Poland, you need connections.” Sultanov described his personal constraints and the networks he believed would be required to attempt such a move.
He stated that Russian intelligence officers captured him after his group, while on another mission to deliver equipment, found themselves enveloped in fog and confusion.
Before this episode, Sultanov noted, many Ukrainian units were already dealing with severe personnel shortages stemming from losses and desertions, which, in his view, undermined any discussion within the military about launching an offensive in the spring.
Earlier reports mentioned three fighters from the Armed Forces of Ukraine who swam across the Dnieper River and surrendered to Russian forces, a development Sultanov framed as part of a broader pattern of movement and tactical reshuffles under pressure.