Novaya Gazeta Evropa continues to explore the motives of Russians volunteering to fight in Ukraine. This time, we spoke with a man* who went to war because of a drug-related criminal case, served in the "Storm V" unit, and shot himself in the leg to desert.

How did Kamil end up in a pretrial detention center, and why did he decide to sign a contract? What did he see on the front lines? How did he manage to escape from the front and leave the country? And what does he plan to do in exile?

*The editors have documents confirming Kamil's story, but we cannot independently confirm some details.

Inside:

00:00 — Teaser
01:03 — "There are a lot of people there, but they're quickly disappearing"
04:19 — "We even had a curling iron in our dugout"
06:48 — About military service
09:37 — How did Kamil end up in a pretrial detention center?
11:00 AM — How Kamil signed his contract
1:10 PM — On corruption in the army
3:57 PM — "After the first combat mission, no one wants to go on a second one"
8:09 PM — "We were transferred to a suicide battalion"
10:50 PM — "I shot myself at the alarm clock"
25:13 PM — Evacuation to the hospital
30:29 PM — How did Kamil end up in France?
36:50 PM — On plans for life in Europe

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