ANTHONY LOYD IN UKRAINE
Meet the defectors fighting Russia: ‘The Putin regime must be destroyed’
Hundreds of Russians, from hardened soldiers to ordinary citizens, have switched sides to fight against their compatriots. Anthony Loyd heard their stories
Garik, left, a Russian former paratrooper, crossed a minefield to get into Ukraine
ANTHONY LOYD FOR THE TIMES
The Times
Long before the day he picked up an assault rifle and chose to fight against his country, the disaffected teenage DJ was already in trouble at school, where he studied between night shifts playing songs in a strip club.
Soon after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine he had a row with a teacher after describing the operation as “fascistic”. The political apathy of his school friends irritated him and the constraints on expression in Putin’s Russia chafed his rebellious sense of liberty.
“It was my nation’s mental health that oppressed me,” remarked the 18-year-old, known only by his codename “Zazar” for security reasons. His shining eyes and unblemished skin were emphasised by a dull olive helmet and the gun in his hands.
