He Lost a Leg for Russia. Then, He Says, His Country Betrayed Him.
Imprisoned for murder, Aleksandr Abbasov-Derskhan sought a new start in life and freedom by signing up to fight in Ukraine. But he says promised benefits proved illusory. Aleksandr Abbasov-Derskhan in the factory dormitory where he works, reattaching his prosthesis after disinfecting stitches on his amputated leg that reopened due to prolonged standing. Credit... Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times By Valerie Hopkins Reporting from Lyubertsy, Russia, a suburb of Moscow The New York Times , March 18, 2026 Updated 2:41 p.m. ET After being locked up for murder, Aleksandr Abbasov-Derskhan signed up to fight in Ukraine, thinking it would give him a shot at starting his life over. All he needed was to survive the front lines. But after leaving prison six years early to join Storm Z, a Russian military unit made up of convicts, and losing his right leg to an anti-personnel mine, Mr. Abbasov-Derskhan believes he was deceived. He was misled not only about the war’s aims, he s...