Employees of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, with the support of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, have successfully carried out a mission codenamed "Barinya."
As a result of this special operation, a career officer of the army of the aggressor state, Russian Lieutenant Daniil Alfyorov, defected to Ukraine.
"Starting from June 2023, he actively cooperated with the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate. Alfyorov persuaded and voluntarily transferred 11 Russian military personnel into captivity in several batches," announced Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, during a press conference.
Lieutenant Alfyorov himself was present at the briefing; he was recently evacuated by the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"When there was a threat to Alfyorov's life, Ukraine conducted a special operation to safely bring him onto Ukrainian territory," Andriy Yusov explained.
Lieutenant Alfyorov is a graduate of the Moscow Higher Military Command School.
During the war against Ukraine, he commanded a platoon of occupation forces on the right bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region.
"On the front line [among Russian military personnel], there were many 'refuseniks,' 'fifth columnists,' and simply dissatisfied individuals with the conditions. Such people were captured, thrown into a pit, and tied to trees for several days," the Russian officer revealed.
During his cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence, Alfyorov not only helped more than ten Russian military personnel surrender themselves as prisoners but also provided valuable information to the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine.
Alfyorov went through all the necessary procedures required for military personnel who surrender themselves as prisoners.
He declared that he is an opponent of Russia's criminal war against Ukraine and announced his intention to fight against the Putin regime.