Russian soldier set fire to a Kalibr missile carrier and handed over classified documents to Ukraine

A Russian soldier from the missile ship Serpukhov deliberately sabotaged the vessel, stole classified documents, and escaped, subsequently joining the Freedom of Russia Legion. As a result, the ship was out of action for a month and was unable to use caliber missiles against Ukraine, according to Sky News. As is known, the Freedom of Russia Legion was created in 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Its fighters include former Russian Army and Navy personnel, and the unit itself often operates jointly with the Ukrainian military. Much of the Legion's activities remain classified. The publication's journalists spoke with three Legion soldiers who described what it's like to fight against one's own homeland. One of them is the saboteur Goga, who set fire to the Russian ship. Goga said he was categorically opposed to the very idea of killing Ukrainians, and therefore risked everything to join the Legion while still serving in the Russian Navy. He was born into a military family and grew up in Kaliningrad. It was there that he served as a radio operator on the missile ship Serpukhov when the full-scale invasion began. This Buyan-class corvette was armed with caliber [music] and Tsirkon missiles, which Russia used to strike Ukrainian cities throughout the war. Goga says he tried to convince his fellow soldiers that the invasion was wrong. It all ended with him being summoned to the military prosecutor's office, given an official warning, and his request for dismissal from service was denied. "After I had exhausted all possible legal ways to leave the army, I no longer knew what to do or how to get discharged from service." According to him, rumors began to spread that several ships were going to be sent to the war zone to launch missiles at targets in Ukraine. Goga says he realized he was running [music] out of time. Unwilling to participate in the murder of Ukrainians, he learned of the freedom of Russia Legion and applied to join. After extensive correspondence and background checks to confirm that Goga was indeed who he claimed to be, a plan was devised to sabotage the [music] ship and transport it to Ukraine. Constantly looking over his shoulder and fearing exposure, he carefully collected secret documents and smuggled gasoline canisters onto the ship. Finally, the time had come to act. "I started bringing fuel into the communications compartment and pouring it onto the equipment. Before doing this, I collected all the classified documents and took them with me." He claimed to have set a timer to trigger a fire, grabbed his documents, and abandoned [music] the ship, then took a taxi to the Lithuanian border. Behind him, fire engulfed the Russian ship's command center, [music] destroying communications equipment. Afterward, the ship was disabled and was unable to launch caliber missiles against Ukrainians for several months. When journalists asked Goga whether he had killed Russians after he found himself in Ukraine and how he felt about it, he initially fell silent. "I feel nothing but relief that fewer people will die in Ukraine," he said later. When asked what he would say to Russian soldiers if he could address them now, Goga replied, "Run, fools. You will die." The legionnaire says he wants to see Russia liberated from the man who has ruled it for over two decades. "In simple terms, destroy the entire system and rebuild it from scratch," he added.