«Моя жизнь — голливудский блокбастер». История казака, который 2 раза сбегал с войны

Summary

A veteran medic and self-identified Cossack describes his path from serving in Russia’s security/policing system and then being mobilized to fight in Ukraine, to becoming an anti-war blogger, being persecuted by Russian security forces, and ultimately escaping to Belarus after two major attempts to avoid arrest.

1) Coercion, corruption, and his break with the system

• He claims he was previously advised/pressured by superiors within internal affairs to extort money from detainees in exchange for manipulating criminal cases—leading him to leave the police/internal affairs system and later similar institutions.
• He says he became increasingly convinced that “legality” is impossible when orders from above require bribery and case “termination.”

2) Mobilization based on propaganda and a later change of belief

• He recounts being mobilized after the “special military operation” began, influenced by propaganda that Russia faced a war with NATO and that Donbas needed protection from “Nazis.”
• He later says these narratives were deceit; he concludes Russia committed an unjustified crime and that Russia’s actions amounted to turning Russians into “the conductors of fascism.”
• He stresses he was not originally pro-Ukraine, but came to view the leadership’s decisions as manipulative and corrupt.

3) Frontline role as a medical evac leader—and what he says he saw

• He describes training in tactical medicine and serving for over two years as a squad leader responsible for evacuating wounded (and sometimes dead) under shelling, drones, and sniper fire.
• He claims he witnessed atrocities on both sides, including mass death scenes, and says soldiers are hard to distinguish by uniform.
• He argues that the war is sustained by forced mobilization and unequal readiness/conditions across sides, describing Ukrainian mobilization as often also coercive but noting different patterns of desertion and volunteer battalions.

4) Whistleblowing through Telegram/YouTube and escalation to state violence

• He says he began publishing anti-war content (“Cossack’s Diary,” Telegram/YouTube) after recognizing ongoing corruption and poor conditions for fighters (food purchased/labeling fraud, low-quality protective gear).
• He claims equipment failures mattered—for example, bulletproof vests allegedly supplied without the expected anti-fragmentation layers (Kevlar), which he says increased the chance of ricochet injuries.
• He reports that his filming/criticism triggered retaliation: he was pulled from the front early, interrogated/pressured, and subjected to beatings by military police.
• He alleges a direct chain of reporting from his actions up to the Ministry of Defense, citing “Shaig” (Shoigu) and “Putin,” and says he was ordered to be beaten “and then finished off,” though the alleged “finishing” did not occur.

5) Personal trigger: denied leave, AWOL, and the belief that the state betrays him repeatedly

• He says he sought leave when his adult son developed advanced cancer, framing Russia as refusing the operation and limiting treatment to chemotherapy.
• He claims an officer/commander refused to grant leave “as punishment” because he was a blogger, forcing him to fake documents and go AWOL (escape) to arrange treatment in Moscow (telemedicine consults; surgery later performed).
• He frames his subsequent experiences as repeated “betrayals”:
  • unfair survival prospects for mobilized prisoners/Storm Z-type personnel released earlier,
  • near destruction for his criticism,
  • refusal to let him care for his son,
  • and later, after being allowed leave, an alleged plan to send remaining medics (him and others) to assault due to manpower shortages—plus the claim that deaths would be recorded as “missing,” leading to no compensation.

6) First escape: 10 months in the forest, survival tactics, and a first failed attempt

• After deciding not to return to the unit, he goes into hiding for 10 months in the forest (Georgia route).
• He describes survival preparation in detail (multiple fire-making methods, tent/stove systems, caching food, collecting water, avoiding surveillance cameras).
• He narrates encounters with danger, including a bear near his camp.
• He attempts to reach Georgia through mountainous terrain and border areas using a motorcycle for travel and then on foot through difficult passes; he says avalanches and near-fatal falls forced him to retreat.
• He returns exhausted and mentally lowered his caution, and is again approached by a sudden nighttime operation.

7) Second escape: surrounded in his home area; arrest; imprisonment

• He describes being surrounded in his neighborhood by special forces (he names FSB, internal ministry, National Guard in the list of forces present).
• He claims his phone channels/anti-war stance were the reason: he says he was singled out first as the authorities tried to suppress content.
• He alleges large-scale manpower participation (about 80 people), then transfer to detention/interrogation.
• He recounts three weeks in a temporary detention “cage” under harsh conditions, then interrogations accusing him of “fake news” and insulting Putin (“Vladimir the Bloody”).
• He says investigators demanded information and he offered witnesses among residents and decorated soldiers who allegedly confirmed his accounts of assaults.

8) Detention system and a second escape from custody to Belarus

• He describes being sent to punitive custody/penal detention in Novorossiysk under heavy guard (paratroopers guarding a fenced area).
• He reports money taken from him during arrest and weakened health from prolonged confinement, motivating him to seek work inside the unit to regain strength.
• He claims a guard fell asleep, enabling him to climb fences and leave the city via taxi, then travel toward Belarus.
• He says attempts to cross official border procedures failed/risked immediate identification, so he chose an unofficial passage through swamp/forest/fields (to avoid checks with Russian border guards present).
• He describes the 5-day swamp journey and survival logistics:
  • filtering swamp water,
  • drying clothes,
  • boiling tea-like water with conifer twigs,
  • and using natural animal trails.

9) Life after escape: destroying military ties and starting new anti-war support

• In Belarus, he rents an apartment, washes to remove dirt/smoke, and destroys his Russian military ID before flying onward (he claims mailing it was rejected).
• He reports concern about passing border/security checks due to shrapnel injuries and later uses a “legend” (story) when questioned by medical/security.
• After reaching freedom, he says he will continue anti-war activity and create new Telegram/YouTube channels (renamed/“Hard Sign”).
• He frames “desertion” differently: not as cowardice, but as “strength of will” to refuse an unjust war, and he says his project helps other deserters leave the combat zone.

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Presenters / Contributors

The subtitles present a single main speaker:

• Volodya — identified as the same person throughout; described as a medic and anti-war blogger / founder of “Hard Sign”