Brezhnev’s great-grandson joined Russia’s ‘special military operation’ to ‘see Nazis.’ Now he’s a Ukrainian POW who says the Nazi threat is a myth.

Anton Milaev, the adopted great-grandson of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, participated in Russia's invasion of Ukraine under the belief that he was fighting Nazis. Captured by Ukrainian forces in 2026, he recently gave an interview through the “Khochu Zhit” project, where he now dismisses the Nazi threat as a myth. This shift in perspective highlights the propaganda war and the evolving narratives in the conflict, illustrating how deeply ingrained beliefs can change under the weight of personal experience. His story underscores the broader disillusionment among Russian troops and the challenges of sustaining a war narrative.