The situation is quite different in a state that gives you an offer you can't refuse that gets you into a situation where you're almost surely going to die vs a more (though not entirely) rule of law-based environment that gives you proper training and leadership.
That's just you buying one narrative and thinking the other is a lie. Maybe both are a lie, maybe both are true but maybe you're right
Not really. There is more than enough evidence for both claims - plus anecdotal evidence as I live in a state with a million Ukrainian refugees, many of them army veterans.