LUGANSK, November 13. /TASS/. Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered in Kupyansk and across the Kharkov Region may enlist in volunteer units made up of former Ukrainian servicemen and fight on the side of Russia, Vitaly Ganchev, head of the regional military-civilian administration, said at a press conference.
Currently, the Maksim Krivonos Volunteer Battalion, consisting of former Ukrainian military personnel, is fighting in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Another similar unit, the Martyn Pushkar Battalion, is fighting alongside Russian troops in the Zaporozhye Region.
"I do not rule out such a possibility, again, based on the experience of those volunteers who previously joined our ranks," Ganchev said in response to a TASS question about whether prisoners would join volunteer units.
The head of the military-civil administration clarified that it is still too early to discuss the participation of recently surrendered prisoners in such units, as they must first undergo screening procedures.
"Because they all say they are cooks, drivers, who have not killed anyone, nor shot at a Russian soldier or a civilian. All of this requires thorough verification. Only after that will the question of their future service be considered. <…> Therefore, the people who have been taken prisoner over the past year, at a minimum, are not yet part of these combat units," Ganchev noted.