SurrenderMinimal risk 5 min
After Surrendering: POW Rights and How Your Family Finds Out
Please noteConfirming your status and notifying your family takes time — it is not instant. Patience and precisely following the rules at this stage matter as much as the surrender itself.
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Official surrender channel and contact for the "I Want to Live" project:
Website: hochuzhit.com
Telegram and WhatsApp — 24/7.
The project is run by Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
You can register in advance, before you're actually captured ("advance surrender").
Sequence of actions5 steps in sequence
1
What you are required to disclose — and nothing more
Under the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (Third Convention, Art. 17), you are only required to give your surname, first name, rank, date of birth, and service number (if any). Demanding further information from you violates the Convention. Refusing to answer additional questions is not grounds for punishment.
Important: A calm, polite tone reduces the risk of conflict during the initial search/processing.
2
What the receiving side commits to
The "I Want to Live" project, operating under Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, states it complies with the Geneva Conventions: humane treatment, medical care, no violence or humiliation. It states an option to be exchanged for Ukrainian POWs on a voluntary basis, and an option to request asylum in Ukraine or European countries.
Important: These are the project's stated commitments, not a court ruling — stay calm and follow the instructions of the receiving group.
3
The role of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Under the mandate of the Geneva Conventions, the International Committee of the Red Cross has the right to visit POW camps, check detention conditions, and pass short messages ("capsules") between a prisoner and their family. Ask to be registered by ICRC representatives at the first opportunity — this is your official entry point into the tracking system.
Important: ICRC registration is the most reliable proof that you are alive and under the protection of international law.
4
How relatives find out and confirm your status
Relatives should contact the "I Want to Find" project (the unified search center for Russian servicemen in Ukraine) and enter any new information about the missing person into their personal account with Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters. The Russian side also eventually receives official notification through the Russian Ministry of Defense and the ICRC, but this process can take weeks.
Important: If you get any chance to communicate (via the ICRC, a call), tell your family your full name, the date, and the approximate location where you surrendered.
5
Registering in advance
The project allows for so-called "advance surrender" — you can file a request through the hotline, bot, or website before you are actually captured, indicating your approximate coordinates and expected time of crossing. This can speed up and simplify the meeting with the receiving group.
Important: Filing a request does not commit you to anything — if circumstances change, you break no rules by simply not making contact.