MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. /TASS/. The number of volunteers joining the Ukrainian armed forces has dropped when people realized that the military treats fighters "like cannon fodder," a Ukrainian fighter Vitaly, who served in the Kievan Rus nationalist battalion and is serving a sentence for involvement in a terrorist community in a prison in one of Russia's regions, told TASS.

"I observed the mobilization. Initially, many people joined voluntarily. However, after witnessing how they were treated and used as cannon fodder, their perspectives changed. Seeing this firsthand, many people became increasingly reluctant to voluntarily come to the military enlistment offices," the agency's source stated.

According to him, servicemen were deployed to build fortifications near the front line and could be left out of contact for an indefinite period. "They’d place you in a position, hand you a shovel, and leave you without any means of communication - you just had to survive. This could last for a week or more, they simply forgot about you. There have been many such cases, and, of course, many people’s opinions changed instantly," the fighter explained.

"There’s a shortage of drinking water. We lacked both water and gas cylinders. It was difficult even to heat tea," the soldier said.

Vitaly, a Ukrainian serviceman, received a summons in 2017. He was assigned to the punitive unit of the Ukrainian Kievan Rus defense battalion and was required to sign a three-year contract. He participated in combat operations against the militia of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) but surrendered after the start of the special military operation. The Judicial Board for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of the LPR sentenced him to 5 years and 6 months in prison for involvement in a terrorist organization. He is currently serving his sentence in a Russian prison.