KYIV, Ukraine — Bound for the battlefield, sounding harried and anxious, the Russian soldier placed a hasty phone call — to a Ukrainian military hotline.
"They say you can help me surrender voluntarily, is that right?" asked the serviceman, explaining that he was soon to be deployed near the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.
"When Ukrainian soldiers come, do I just kneel down, or what? Do you promise not to film me while this is happening?"
