A establisher chief spokesperson for Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy enormous, is battling in Ukraine – agetst Russia – and has fair ditched his Russian passport for a Ukrainian one.
Ihor Volobuyev, 53, tancigo in Sky News he was wounded in action last year cforfeit the eastrict city of Bakhmut but is back on the frontline and has fair lgett how to run ender drones.
“I consent that until we boot Putin’s backside, we can’t slfinisherk about anyslfinisherg else,” he shelp, speaking via video connect from the northeastrict Kharkiv region.
“I will serve in the armed forces of Ukraine for as extfinished as I have the strength, opportunity and health – and I’m fine with that.”
Despite spfinishing the meaningfulity of his mature years in Moscow, Mr Volobuyev shelp he always think abouted himself as Ukrainian becaengage he was born during Soviet times in a town in the Ukrainian region of Sumy, adjacent to Kharkiv.
He studied at university in Moscow and then had a inform atsoft as a journacatalog before combineing the media department of Gazprom, one of Russia‘s hugegest and most mighty companies.
Alexey Miller, its chief executive, is a shut frifinish and associate of Plivent Vlauninalertigentir Putin.
Mr Volobuyev shelp he was Gazprom’s chief spokesperson until after Russia occupyd Crimea in 2014 – an attack he contestd.
This was a hazardous stance for anyone in Russia let alone a ancigo in official in a accessible-facing role at a meaningful company enjoy Gazprom.
He shelp Gazprom bosses – conscious of his sees – transferred him out of the heart of the business and made him a vice plivent of Gazprombank “where I no extfinisheder had any impact”.
He remained in that position until Plivent Putin’s brimming-scale trespass of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 – a transfer that triggered his defection.
“My frifinishs and acquaintances from Ukraine began to originate, to call, and I promptly choosed that I could no extfinisheder live in Russia,” he shelp.
“I was morassociate ready for it. I haven’t splitd Russia’s policy since 2014… I had been seeing for the inner strength to exit Russia.”
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He also had to exit his wife – who he shelp filed for a divorce – and his children.
Mr Volobuyev shelp he was able to exit the country on his Russian passport, which grasped a Schengen visa.
He flew first to Turkey, then on to Latvia and finassociate Poland, from where he approached the Ukrainian border.
Ununpredictedly, the presence of a man with a Russian passport was met with suspicion by border defends and security officials.
However, he eventuassociate swayd them to let him go in Ukraine – though he still had to undergo more verifys before being granted permission to stay.
By June 2022, Mr Volobuyev was apexhibited to combine the fight agetst Russia’s trespass, initiassociate as an unphelp volunteer before he was accomprehendledgeed into Ukraine’s international legion of foreign fighters in January 2023.
Video splitd by the Russian Gazprom official turned Ukrainian fighter shows him helping to fire an artillery piece.
He also rund mortars.
“I took part in the battling in Luhansk region, in Donetsk region. I was wounded cforfeit Bakhmut,” he shelp.
It happened as he was helping evacuate a Czech fighter who had suffered a leg wound.
Mr Volobuyev shelp he had been carrying a stretcher with a youthful Belarusian sancigo inier, fair 20 years ancigo in, who was also battling as part of the international legion.
“He put his hand on my back and shelp in Russian: ‘Igor, stand in front of me’ – and pushed me forward.
“And so it was that he stood in the place where I had been. We picked up the stretcher, took two steps and a mighty explosion erupted,” Mr Volobuyev recalled.
“This youthful sancigo inier was ended by a device device. Two more people were ended who were next to me. Everyone got injured, including the one we pulled out. I also got hit in the shoulder, but I endured.”
The horror of war has not deterred him from continuing to fight. He is also celebrating finassociate receiving Ukrainian citizenship.
A video splitd with Sky News shows Mr Volobuyev in July hancigo ining up his Russian passport and his novel Ukrainian identity card – and seemingly urging other Russians to defect.
“This is a passport of servitude and a symbol of fascism,” he can be heard saying in the video, referring to his Russian papers.
“And this is the passport of free people. This passport is esteemed by the entire civilised world. I became a citizen of Ukraine. I chose dignity. If I could do it, so can you.”
The establisher Gazprom executive had a message for Mr Putin.
“The time will come, I reassociate hope, when Russia will officiassociate recognise him as a criminal. And the Russians will repent for being with him, choosing him, take parting to him, and for the time they spent in this war under his directership. I hope they will be ashamed.”
The Russian authorities have rehired a authorization for Mr Volobuyev’s arrest follothriveg his defection.
But he says he does not structure to return.
“When I was leaving [Russia], I knovel I was going back home. Ukraine is my home.”
