I’ve been drafted to fight in Putin’s genocidal war and my pals have already been killed – I’m desperate to escape to UK

A YOUNG Russian conscript called up to fight in Putin's 'genocidal' war has spoken of his desperate bid to dodge the draft and escape to the UK.

Vadim, 22, from Kaliningrad Russia, was served his papers several days ago and has been ordered to present himself to his local enlistment office on October 4.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Vadim says he'll do whatever he can to escape being sent to Ukraine and becoming 'cannon fodder' and even wants to make his way to the UK.

He fears he will suffer the same fate as his friends who have already taken up arms and have been killed after just two weeks on the frontline.

He told The Sun: "My friend, he was 21 years old, Eduard, I didn't know that he was in Ukraine. 

"He was sent to the war zone, and two weeks later he was killed by a mine. 

He added: "My plan is to do all I can to evade being mobilised. 

"I’ll do literally everything, including getting myself into a psychiatric hospital.

"I don't want to go to war, and being in the UK would allow me to avoid it.

"I won't be killing Ukrainians. I don’t want to kill."

The youngster, who studied as a radiation technician but now works in a bar, has only ever done the mandatory 12-months military service.

And says he was passed with the highest category of fitness despite having a knee injury and will now be sent to the frontline.

He said: "I have no military training. I can't shoot. 

"I did sports, but I have a knee injury, and I couldn’t even walk for a long time.  My knee hurts a lot. 

"After running, the pain is even stronger - but the last time I was in the military registration and enlistment office, I was 17 years old.

"They turned a blind eye to this [injury] and gave me the highest category of fitness."

Last week Putin announced the mobilization of 300,000 Russian troops in a bid to save his shambolic attempt to invade neighbouring Ukraine.

In February, Russian troops stormed across the border with the intention of taking in Kyiv but have since been pushed back by President Zelensky's heroic forces.

US officials estimate that around 500 Russian troops are being killed every day in Ukraine's lightning counter-attack as they battle to take back the eastern part of the country.

With the number of soldiers rapidly declining, Putin was forced to call up conscripts across Russia - sparking a huge backlash.

Footage showed the called-up Russian fighting and getting drunk in barracks and whilst others torched enlistment offices to avoid the draft.

Conscripts have been given zero training before being transported to the frontline and handed rusty guns and given 60-year-old tanks.

Vadim, who showed his own enlistment papers to The Sun, says no one can escape Vlad's chilling round-up of conscripts.

He says troops have even swept through car parks to hand out draft letters to fleeing Russians.

He said: "My mother says I should go and register with the enlistment office because she is scared that if I don’t, I’ll get jailed.

"But if I do, it will mean being sent to the front line.

"There are a lot of my friends, colleagues who leave their places of registration so that they cannot be found. 

"Today we saw an Instagram video - the military came to the place where cars are registered with the traffic police. 

"The entire parking lot was empty instantly, everyone ran away, because they came there to give summonses. 

"In local news, a guy aged 22 and according to his documents, he has schizophrenia. Yet got summonsed."

The Kremlin has faced fierce resistance from its own people who believe that the war in Ukraine is unjustified.

Either way, it's certain death. I won't kill. These are my brothers, I will not kill them.

Vadim Russian conscript

This week, Putin announced the annexation of four captured Ukrainian regions - Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The land grab, believed to be the biggest since WWII, signals a terrifying new phase in his seven-month war.

The Russian leader vowed to "defend our land with all means" - and said the people living in the stolen Ukrainian regions are "our citizens forever".

Vadim said: "I strongly believe that the hostilities will continue and people will be sent to the front. 

"As soon as the cannon fodder on the front line runs out, they will call us, those who have no training. 

"I have three days left before going to the commissariat."

He is now vowing to do all he can to avoid being dragged to the frontline and leave his mum and young brother behind.

He says he will now try and make his way to the UK because he 'doesn't want to kill.'

"And I know that if I don’t do it, I’ll be killed or they’ll jail me. 

"Either way, it's certain death. I won't kill. These are my brothers, I will not kill them."