Conversation with a Russian Military Volunteer in Yalta, Crimea April 17, 2023

When Russia intervened military in Ukraine in February 2022, Genadi was sixty years old and was living with his wife and their severely disabled daughter in Yalta. Genadi and his wife originally came from Luhansk. His wife continues to have family members there. After discussing the situation with his wife, Genadi volunteered for military service in the Ukraine war and joined a defensive unit in Luhansk that was comprised of volunteers from all over Russia. He recently returned to Yalta from the front line and rejoined his family in Yalta. On April 17, 2023, Genadi spoke with Dimitri Lascaris in Yalta about his reasons for volunteering and his views about how the Ukraine war might be brought to an end.