Bizarre secret codes being handed to fleeing Russian troops on ‘surrender cards’ to help them escape war alive | The Sun

UKRAINIAN soldiers have been handing out "surrender cards" to Russian soldiers containing secret codes with advice on how they can return home alive, reports have claimed.

The cards feature a message in Russian for Vlad's invading forces, as well as a QR code on the back with links to further information on how soldiers can surrender to Ukraine.



Pictures of the cards supposedly being distributed widely among Russian forces by Ukraine were shared on social media.

One side of the card is in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.

The headline reads: "YOUR TICKET TO A PEACEFUL LIFE."

Below, it says in Russian: "Show this card to a Ukrainian soldier – it will save your life and help you return home."

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On the reverse of the card is a chat handle for the messaging app Telegram, and a phone number, both of which it is purported Russian soldiers can access if they want to surrender.

A QR code also features on the card which, if scanned by a smartphone, takes the user to more information on how to surrender, including diagrams.

Under the heading reading "TO WHOM CAN YOU SURRENDER?" the information sheet reads: "Armed forces of Ukraine, Territorial Defence Forces of Ukraine, National Police of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine."

It also gives detailed instructions on exactly how Vlad's soldiers should surrender.

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The card goes on: "1. Fold all weapons in front of you at a sufficient distance. 2. Stand in front of military equipment. All equipment must be muffled and not in a combat position.

"3. To notify the Ukrainian side of the laying down of arms, a negotiator from the officer corps may be sent without weapons and with raised hands or a white flag. Having surrendered, you must follow all the instructions of the Ukrainian military!"

The card guarantees that amnesty will be offered to all Russian soldiers who voluntarily lay down their arms and hand over any military equipment to Ukraine.

Those who do surrender are given the chance to call their relatives and friends and explain their situation.

It even promises compensation to surrendering Russian soldiers who return home.

Show this card to a Ukrainian soldier – it will save your life and help you return home

The card also orders troops to give their Ukrainian captors their full name, rank, date of birth and personal military ID.

At the end of their capture, the prisoners of war are guaranteed that they will be released and returned to Russia at the end of the war along with their valuables.

Pictures of the cards were first shared on Telegram by Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine.

The 41-year-old is also head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration.

Sharing the pictures, he wrote: "Pass it on to the Russian soldier. Can save someone's life."

All you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Everything you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…

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It comes as Ukraine's military appears to have made stunning gains on its eastern and southern fronts, amid the reported collapse of the Russian military resolve.

Last week, Ukraine began its offensive, with officials estimating that by Monday the army had reclaimed some 3,000 square kilometres of Russian-held territory, around twice the size of Greater London.

Dramatic footage from the frontline shared on Tuesday showed Russian soldiers surrendering en masse amid plummeting morale and devastating supply shortages.

The group of Russian soldiers can be seen lying face down on a road with their hands tied behind their backs.



Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said Kyiv is trying to persuade even more Russian soldiers to give up, launching shells filled with flyers ahead of their advance.

"Russians use you as cannon fodder. Your life doesn’t mean anything for them. You don’t need this war. Surrender to Armed Forces of Ukraine," the flyers read.

Some Russians have even shot or blown themselves up rather than face battle, a captured commander has said.

Retired US army general Mark Hertling said the Russian army’s morale has been plummeting as they face a determined enemy without proper supplies.

"You have to consider the morale of the forces that are being routed and what I would tell you, the morale of the Russian forces since about March has been in the toilet,” he said.

"Put yourself in the shoes of that Russian who's not getting paid, he's on the front line, doesn't know what he's doing, he hasn't been re-supplied and he has been hounded for the last six months while living in a trench."

Russia has reportedly lost nearly a billion dollars worth of weapons in the recent Ukrainian blitz that has seen the Kremlin lose more territory in three days than it gained in five months of the war.

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In a further sign of Moscow's dysfunctional military, footage emerged on Monday of a Russian fighter jet crashing in a fireball moments after takeoff from an airfield in occupied Crimea.

While as the blame game continues back at home, seven Russian oligarchs have died mysteriously in recent months, sparking rumours Putin is purging his inner circle of former allies.

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