Soldier 'surrenders with tank' for $10,000

[left-of-center2012]

A Russian soldier has handed himself and his tank over to Ukrainian troops for
a reward of $10,000 and a chance at Ukrainian citizenship. Misha, one of alleged war criminal Vladimir Putin's invading soldiers, surrendered in a T-72B3 main battle tank after his two other crewmates escaped home and his commanding officer threatened to shoot him.

Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Victor Andrusiv said Misha had contacted Ukraine's national police by phone and arranged a place to meet. 'On these phones, we regularly send SMS about how to surrender and hand over the equipment.

'A few days ago, Misha called us. 'We handed over the information about him to the GUR MO [Ukrainian military intelligence]. 'He didn't see the point of war. Misha said that
there was almost no food left, military management is chaotic and practically absent. Demoralization is colossal. ‘The Russians are giving up!'

The Ukrainian military selected a place for the soldier to surrender and used a drone fitted with a camera to make sure it wasn't an ambush. Special forces then detained Misha, who lay face-down on the with his hand up as he surrendered.
The Russian soldier will spend the remainder of the war as a prisoner in 'comfortable conditions with a TV, phone, kitchen and shower'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10656603/Russian-soldier-surrenders-TANK-return-7-500-Ukrainian-citizenship.html

The moment a Russian tank driver called Misha surrendered to Ukrainian troops by lying on the ground beside his T-72B3 main battle tank for a reward of $10,000

[louis-t]

1. More of this.....

[secondwind]

2. Wonderful story.......... I hope many more will do this....

[Deuxcents]

3. Yes, please

More of this..

[left-of-center2012]

4. "two other crewmates escaped home"

[Mariana]

8. Home to Russia?

They won't be safe there...

[Flaleftist]

10. Um, back to Russia? I would think desertion is a serious crime there if they are caught.

The idea of paying them and offering them safety is geat, but I doubt those who just leave and go back to Russia will have a good time.

Maybe bounties could be offered. Any Russian soldier who kills a general gets $100k.

[Aristus]

5. They're treating him very well.

Brilliant ploy. It will very likely encourage other cold, sick, starving Russian boys to surrender.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Especially The Phone

Eventually he'll make contact with family with news he's well treated & happy.

[lpbk2713]

6. Spread the word.

More would probably do it for less than $10K.

Recycle the tank back in service after appropriate marking and use it against the Russians.

All kinds of win-win situations.

[SWBTATTReg]

7. I think that the Ukrainians were smart to offer these awards. Why not? An unpopular war,

conscripts who don't want to go to war w/ a similar speaking group of people, and obviously a flawed military campaign with troops getting frost bite, going hungry, using unsecured communications, etc.

[farmbo]

9. What a bargain! Cost of a US Main Battle tank is $2.3 million.

Don’t know what a Russian T-72 goes for, but that $10K was money well spent.

[Angleae]

18. Apparently a T-72 goes for about $500,000 these days

https://www.reuters.com/article/ozatp-ethiopia-tanks-ukraine-20110610-idAFJOE7590IR20110610

[SergeStorms]

23. Those were 2011 prices.

When I saw they were coming from Ukraine's stockpile it snapped my head back until I saw the dateline.

Russsia doesn't appear to keep their equipment in tip-top shape, so Ukraine may have paid $10,000 for a rather large paperweight.

[AllyCat]

25. Well, it's one more Russian soldier not killing Ukrainians

I’d say it’s worth it.

[TheBlackAdder]

26. After seeing how they are faring with modern shoulder anti-tank rockets, they'll be scrap value.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Don't trust that guy to Door Dash

Last edited Sun Mar 27, 2022, 09:03 PM - Edit history (1)

[left-of-center2012]

17. Huh ?

[The Unmitigated Gall]

12. Brave kid. I hope his buddies do ok back home

And I hope he enjoys that food and some hot water and tv. Humane treatment of war prisoners has a quality of its own.

Living with my dad in college to keep expenses down, our German neighbor, Julius, once told us the story of being drafted into the German army as a teenager and sent by train to the Eastern Front. He escaped somewhere in Poland and made his way to the West and surrendered to the Americans, he came to the US and lived out his life here.

[70sEraVet]

13. That IS a great deal for the Ukrainians, but Im sure it puts a strain on their cash flow.

Maybe the U.S. could pick up the tabs on these payments.
If Putin could put bounties on U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, surely the U.S. should be free to pay for Russian soldiers to surrender?

[ProfessorGAC]

16. I'd Think The Strain Is Low

They just got a $2 million dollar tank for $10,000!
I'd take that type of strain on cash flow every day of every week.

[erronis]

21. Yeah. But can you imagine the cost of fueling/oiling/yearly maintenance, tread rotations, etc.?

Even storing that beast in your garage or driveway may present a challenge.

But you would be the talk of the neighborhood!

[liberalla]

14. Welcome Misha! Your future looks better already.

[Evolve Dammit]

19. A real win/win! And nobody shot or killed. Plus the word will spread rapidly.

[calimary]

33. That's the best part!

Nobody got shot or killed.

Sounds like a MOST successful transaction! More, please!

[L. Coyote]

20. Now that's a real steal deal. How much do these tanks cost new?

"... it costs the Russian Army ~$250.000 to upgrade one of its T-72Bs into a T-72B3M."
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-current-price-of-a-T-72B3-tank

"... Venezuela in 2012. It bought 92 T-72B1s from Russia, for a total price tag of $200,000,000, or ~$2,000,000 per vehicle."
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-current-price-of-a-T-72-tank

[Ford_Prefect]

22. If his remarks are true they are even more significant than the surrender of the tank was.

Misha said that there was almost no food left, military management is chaotic and practically absent. Demoralization is colossal.

Such conditions could explain why Putin paused the war to talk.

[milestogo]

24. I'll take "surrenders with tank" for $10,000, Alex.

[mysteryowl]

28. Oh, it is the with tank part that they get $10,000

[Tickle]

36. They will steal food from others

and probably kill anyone who stands in the way of food and water. Plus the 10k they won’t get from Putin. I hope others follow 🤞🤞🤞

[Raine]

30. Terrific! 🙂 👍 nt

[mysteryowl]

31. I worry for his family back home.

The butcher will be so angry, his family could be at risk.

[Tickle]

37. I thought of that to

Hopefully not

[gaskinite]

32. Used Tank Market

It would be bad ass to get in a tank and drive it to the supermarket in Kiev.

[not a texan]

34. $10,000 is cheap compared to a Javelin anti tank rocket

I just googled it, according to that site the rocket for a Javelin costs $78,000. For $10,000 you get to keep the tank and maybe use it for a few days before it breaks down. Sounds like a bargain and no one dies in the process which just could lead to others following this example.

[Retired Engineer Bob]

35. That's one fubared tank

Here’s what the thing looks like off the showroom floor:



Looks to me like the poor thing has been nailed by a missile/anti tank thingy. Half of its explosive armor is gone. Not sure it’s worth 10 grand.