He forged documents to flee Russia towards Kazakhstan, but was detained and sent back to the front line as an assault infantryman. Determined to escape, he ended up contacting the “I Want to Live” project, which took him safely to Ukrainian positions
A Russian soldier from the elite Rubikon drone unit has surrendered to Ukrainian forces, saying he could no longer carry out orders in an environment of constant pressure and alleged systemic abuses.
Miroslav Simonov told the Ukrainian project “I Want to Live” that he was forced to join the Russian army under threat of facing criminal charges. “I was taken to the local police station, where investigators gave me a choice: either I would do mandatory military service – with the implication that I would later be conscripted into the war – or I would voluntarily serve in a unit where my father serves: the Logistics Company in the Bryansk region,” he reported, .
After signing the documents, Simonov was sent to a training camp in the Russian region of Voronezh. There, recruits received several weeks of training as assault troops before being assigned to specific duties. Miroslav Simonov was assigned to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit and placed in the occupied Lugansk region, as part of a special drone company of the Russian 20th Army. Initially he performed tasks in the rear and attended a brief Mavic drone operation course.
Later, part of the military was transferred to a new battalion, but the most experienced drone operators remained. Simonov and another soldier ended up integrated into the elite Rubikon unit.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Rubikon has drones and advanced systems, operates away from the front line and is financed and supervised by the GRU, an arm of the Russian secret services. Simonov describes the unit as a harsh environment, marked by constant psychological pressure, verbal abuse and threats of transfer to assault units for minor infractions.
After further training, he was posted to the Kupiansk area, a city on the front line, where he worked as a drone technician.
The decisive moment came when a Russian drone hit the wrong coordinates and seriously injured a 20-year-old woman. The attack had been approved by commanders and, according to Simonov, in the unit’s message group the impact on civilians was downplayed.
“I saw support from command for those who did it. It made me angry and scared,” he said. In a later conversation, the operator involved minimized the civilian casualties, saying that in the frontline cities there were no longer any civilians, only “Ukrainian soldiers or people working for them”.
After this episode, Simonov forged documents to flee Russia towards Kazakhstan, but was detained and sent back to the front line as an assault infantryman. Determined to escape, he ended up contacting the “I Want to Live” project, which took him safely to Ukrainian positions.
The project is managed by the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and has the support of the Main Intelligence Directorate. “I Want to Live” provides a phone line and a Telegram channel so that Russian and allied military personnel can surrender safely, ensuring protection under international law, including the Geneva Conventions.
Now, Simonov says he wants to fight alongside Ukraine. “You destroyed not only my life, but the lives of many others. I want to defend your home”, he declared.
