Second, the conduct of the war by Russian forces violates the most . Stas was sent back to Russia. "I can see that the war continues, it is not going away," he told the BBC. The soldier's testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the fight. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. He's changed completely. April 16, 2022 17:49 GMT. 2023 BBC. "You've got relatives there. He gets it now. We didnt have normal munitions, no flak jackets or helmets. DeSantis won't say he's running. Id rather bury you on the front line, on the line of defense, than give up my position, he said, describing the sentiments of his commanders. Because they ignore everything. Command post guard duty? A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. ", Russian mum's fight to save sons from Putin's war, Mariupol: 80 days that left a flourishing city in ruins, Pinned down by Russian fire in key frontline village. During wartime, rules are totally different. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. Fewer and fewer Russian servicemen want to fight for the Kremlin's invading plans. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Troops from the Russian so-called Cossack Detachment are refusing to take part in offensive operations due to Russian forces heavy losses near Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has supported its eastern neighbour in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.Before the start of the offensive, Belarus allowed the Russian Armed Forces to perform weeks-long military drills on its territory; however, the Russian troops did not exit the country after they were supposed to finish. Sergey's complaints about lack of equipment have also emerged in phone conversations alleged to be between Russian soldiers and their families, intercepted and posted online by the Ukrainian security services. A court in the Russian city of Ufa has sentenced a 24-year-old corporal to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine. In conversations with Current Time via the Russian social media giant VK, several soldiers from the brigade disputed the circumstances behind their inclusion on the wall of shame. The troops are getting exhausted they wont be able to keep this up for a long period.. At the beginning of April, Sergey was sent back over the border to a camp on the Russian side. Sergey was told that returning to the unit was important because simply leaving could be interpreted as desertion, which can result in a two-year sentence in a disciplinary battalion. A group of desperate Russian soldiers have issued an open letter by way of video to despotic President Vladimir Putin. "But he said he was going. In the southern Russian town of Budyonnovsk, on the home base for the 205th Cossack Motorized Rifle Brigade, commanders have erected a wall of shame with the names, ranks, and photographs of some 300 soldiers who have disobeyed orders in the Ukraine war. Artillery sentry duty? The bosses response was: We dont care about your problems, go ahead and quit. Not from the opposing side. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. A group of Russian soldiers are suing the army after they were fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine. I told him that he was a zombie. The head of Britain's GCHQ spy service said on Wednesday that new intelligence showed some Russian soldiers in Ukraine had refused to carry out orders, sabotaged their own equipment and . "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. The soldier, not wanting to take part in a special military operation, did not report for duty in May 2022, said the press service on Thursday for courts in the region of Bashkortostan in the southern Urals. This story has been shared 102,045 times. For many Russian soldiers, the war in Ukraine is one they don't want to fight. Sergey joined the army as a conscript - most Russian men between the ages of 18-27 must complete one year of compulsory military service. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . While the exact number of soldiers refusing to fight remains unclear, such stories illustrate what military experts and western governments say is one of Russias biggest obstacles in Ukraine: a severe shortage of infantry soldiers. He said he would put his refusal in writing. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Mr Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 23. The announcement triggered an exodus of men from Russia, with many fleeing to neighbouring countries including Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan. There was no basic hygiene, the soldier said in the testimony, according to the Guardian. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on the conflict in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin touts success, yet some of his soldiers refuse to fight. "It was blown up from a grenade launcher or something else. The soldier, identified by the alias Vladimir, testified he was held in the town of Bryansk with about 80 soldiers guarded by the shadowy organization Wagner Group. They've spent time in the trenches, getting cold and hungry, but when they come back they just get shouted and sworn at by their commanders.". A group of Russian soldiers recently sent Vladimir Putin a video complaining about "being sent to the slaughter" and begging for more military support in . In July, for example, 17 Russian soldiers were reportedly detained in the country's eastern Luhansk region after they said they would not continue fighting in the war and tried to end their short-term contracts. But there's a more common explanation. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. Discovery Company. Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! And while the current status of the conflict gives Russian soldiers a legal path to refuse participation, some soldiers have complained that it has also led to them not being adequately cared for. "Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where they . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. ET Saturday: A curfew in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has been extended from 5 pm until 8 am every day At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been . He was soon transferred to Belgorod, a Russian city close to the border with Ukraine, where he has been stationed since. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, When disinfo specialists lie, Gray Ladys DeSantis frustration and other commentary, Putins former spin doctor-turned-critic dead, Ukraines northeastern front could decide new battle lines, Biden needs to step up military aid for Ukraine fast. In phone conversations with Current Time, he said troops were not granted any leave for 4 1/2 months, even as the losses and casualties for the brigade mounted: Up to half of the brigades personnel -- around 1,000 -- have been either killed or wounded in action, he said. Of the 78 soldiers from Kaminskys unit who have disobeyed orders, some have been ordered held in a makeshift brig for days, he said. Russians might be in favour of the conflict, but they dont actually want to fight, he said, adding that a general mobilisation would entail colossal losses of untrained soldiers. Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. As a result of what I believe were tactical and strategic mistakes made by my commanders and their total disregard for human life I made the decision not to continue in the military operation, one soldier jailed for over a week said in written testimony to prosecutors, which was observed by the Guardian. Initially he "believed it was right" despite his dad trying to convince him not to go to war, the BBC report said. Troops had been withdrawn from northern Ukraine and appeared to be regrouping for an assault in the east. ET. It said that the troops lacked support, while personnel in advanced positions didn't have water. As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. By Robert Coalson. His unit moved on through the Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says. Russia has also turned to mercenaries to bolster its war efforts, deploying fighters from the shadowy Kremlin-linked Wagner group. He revealed to his father what had happened to him in detention: how a "different group" of Russian soldiers had tried to force him to fight. Along with eight others, Dmitri told his commanders that he refused to rejoin the invasion. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. Russian resistance is growing against Putin's war. Nearly all . Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds' as trains crashed, Bieber cancels remaining Justice world tour dates, Daily walk prevents one in 10 early deaths - study, Trump lashes out at Murdoch over vote fraud case, Uranium particles enriched to 83.7% found in Iran, Why the lab-leak theory is being taken seriously, Finland starts construction of Russia border fence. Dmytrashkivskyi added the Russians had carried out 15 assaults over the past day, while the same number stood at 60 assaults per day a month ago. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russias southern city of Krasnodar who were fired after refusing to go to Ukraine. Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency. Without a formal . 17 Russian soldiers were reportedly detained, Russian military unit deployed in the south would not figh, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. Some Russian troops are refusing to return to fight in Ukraine because of their experiences on the front line at the start of the invasion, according to Russian human rights lawyers and activists. .. Advertisement .. Russian Soldier Brutally Thrashed For Refusing To Fight In Ukraine War: Report, Arrested AAP Ministers Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain Quit Delhi Cabinet, Nithyananda's 'Republic Of Kailasa' At UN Meet. I understood that I had to refuse so I could stay alive, he said. The unit, stationed in Russias far east during peacetime, first entered Ukraine from Belarus when the war started at the end of February and saw bitter combat with Ukrainian forces. While speaking, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing him away. He bombarded military officials, prosecutors and investigators with appeals for help. But you cannot force people to fight.". "In a situation when there is shelling or bombs falling, all normal people cannot help but react to it, even on the physiological level. Their official status is missing in action. "We rushed forward with short overnight stays, without trenches, without reconnaissance. I will serve my remaining time and then I am out of here, he said. "We were like blind kittens. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Homesick. He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. As casualties have mounted, so have Ukrainian officials' efforts to appeal directly to the Russian people, saying they are being lied to about a war Moscow still calls a "special operation . But analysts say voluntary recruits and mercenary groups are unlikely to lead to a substantial increase in the number of new soldiers, compared with the numbers that a partial or a full-scale mobilisation would bring. Sergei (not his real name) says his son was beaten with a pistol for refusing to go back to the frontlines, There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Anybody want it? the commander, a lieutenant colonel identified only by his surname Agafonov, can be heard telling the soldiers. Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of the invasion from its . The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. "I had thought that we were the Russian army, the most super-duper in the world," says the young man bitterly. Pointing to Russias military laws, Benyash said it would be more difficult for soldiers to refuse to fight if Russia were to declare a full-scale war. In July, the father of a Russian soldier told The Insider that troops were being detained or moved to a detention center in the occupied Luhansk region if they attempted to leave their posts. There are no legal grounds to start a criminal case if a soldier refuses to fight while on Russian territory.. The official warned that the next phase of the war was likely to be an "attritional conflict" which could last . "We went without helicopters - just in a column, as though we were heading to a parade.". Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. Almost immediately his unit found itself under attack. We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. A lawyer told Sergey and two like-minded colleagues to return their arms and go back to their unit's headquarters - where they should file a letter explaining that they were "morally and psychologically exhausted" and could not continue fighting in Ukraine. And this, according to a video on social media app Telegram, has . Other units include troops from private military companies like Vagner, or specialized, semiautonomous units overseen by Chechnyas strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. 1 min read. Soldiers like Sergey - reluctant to return to the front line - are not unusual, according to Ruslan Leviev, the editor of Conflict Intelligence Team, a media project investigating the experiences of the Russian military in Ukraine through confidential interviews and open source material. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook. A Warner Bros. What's he waiting for? They began to stir and offer up some alternatives when people started specifically saying no, he said. But from our own side.". After that, I wont look at any new offers.. For some Russians, refusing to return to the front line may be a moral stand. Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. According to an audio recording shared with Current Time, commanders met with the insubordinate soldiers on July 17, alternately threatening, begging, and trying to coerce them to remain in service or rescind their resignation requests. 'I Had To Refuse So I Could Stay Alive' A similar account to Dmitris was given to the BBCs Russian service by Sergey Bokov, a 23-year-old soldier who at the end of April decided to leave the army after fighting in Ukraine. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. 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