Nearly five months into the largest war in Europe since World War II, a growing number of Russian soldiers like Kaminsky are refusing to fight, demanding to return home, or outright not going to Ukraine in the first place. 2023 BBC. Mr. Putin had resisted ordering a mobilization for months, but his decision underscored the Kremlin's struggles on the battlefield, where more than 80,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or . And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". They ignore any requests. Along with eight others, Dmitri told his commanders that he refused to rejoin the invasion. What is being given to Ukraine by the UK? Source: cnnespanol All news articles on 2023-02-28 You may like. By The Associated Press August 11, 2022. .. 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. The whole time, not a single document was provided that would explain our arrest. It said that the troops lacked support, while personnel in advanced positions didn't have water. Some troops are refusing orders, walking away from military bases or crossing the border into Ukraine and switching sides, media reports show. "You've got relatives there. At another moment, he said, unit commanders ordered a squad of five soldiers to try to seize a nearby settlement defended by up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers. Sergey is just one of hundreds of Russian soldiers understood to have been seeking such advice. Many soldiers, therefore, have chosen to be fired or transferred rather than going into the meat grinder, he said. The human rights activist said Kononov may be sent to serve in Ukraine again, explaining that the punishment means it will be even more difficult for him to achieve early dismissal. Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was covered in blood, his father has claimed. Deployed to Ukraine in July, Andrei was placed in detention for refusing to carry out orders. Soldiers are refusing to fire artillery on civilians until they clear the area. More than 550,000 soldiers from Putin's failing army have been killed or injured so badly in Ukraine that they are no longer able to fight, according to Minusrus. Then I got a text message saying he and four other officers had been put in a basement. President Vladimir Putin promised that only professional soldiers would take part in his "special military operation.". Several lawyers and human rights activists the BBC spoke to said they had been regularly offering advice to men trying to avoid returning to Ukraine. TASS said the soldier expressed his dissatisfaction with the training of mobilised servicemen outside Moscow. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake. Read also: UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the occupiers are not able to resolve problems with manning their units. It doesn't make sense. Russian resistance is growing against Putin's war. "In these months [of compulsory military service] that I have left, anything - including the worst - could happen. A video of the incident that circulated online showed the soldier complaining of poor training, using obscenities, and calling the drills an imitation. It soon became clear that not everyone was onboard with it. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. 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. 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. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. A Russian official this week responded to the Biden administration's refusal to rule out sending depleted uranium anti-tank munitions to Ukraine by warning that deployment of such weaponswhich have been linked to birth defects, miscarriages, and cancerwould be regarded by Moscow as use of "dirty nuclear bombs." According to . Why Russian Soldiers Are Refusing To Fight In The War On Ukraine. I understand everything, of course. The soldiers testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the fight. Western intelligence agencies say Russias losses are substantial; a top British military commander told the BBC this week that up to 50,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the invasion was launched on February 24. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust" in their higher command. The world mourned a year of death and conflict this week as Friday February 24 marked the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin's order for his aggressive Russian Armed Forces to invade Ukraine.. Hundreds were discharged after refusing to take part in the invasion, the Guardian previously reported. They were continually shelled, he says, both when moving and when parked overnight. Jan 27, 2023. A month later - 24 February, the day Russia launched its invasion - he was told to cross the border. According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. I didnt think I would quit, but it happened because of my wifes difficult pregnancy, when I asked for a delay until after she gave birth, a third soldier told Current Time in a VK message. Hundreds of Russian soldiers have refused to fight or fled their posts since the war in Ukraine began, according to report published Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal. 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. It's not a war of liberation'," the man told the BBC. The latest as of 7.15 a.m. "Then they took him into a room and told him: 'You're coming with us, otherwise we'll kill you.' The contract soldier was subsequently sentenced on July 21 to restriction in military service for one year, with a 10 percent deduction from his monetary allowance going to the state. But his stand changed after the soldier found out he had been sent to fight with "no intelligence gathering, no preparation and no cover". 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. UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar, Russians pushing for breakthrough near Vuhledar, but unlikely to succeed, says UK intelligence, Lori Lightfoot becomes the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose re-election, Fiery Greece train collision kills 32, injures at least 85, A condition called POTS rose after covid, but patients can't find care, Drones fly deep inside Russia; Putin orders border tightened, Rep. Lauren Boebert Gets Absolutely Schooled By Jamie Raskin Using Trump's Own Words, Russia redeploys unit of brigade created for war against Chechen Republic of Ichkeria near Vuhledar, Ukrainian Forces Demobilize Russian Tanks Near Frontline Town, Irkutsk conscripts appeal to Putin for third time for being sent to war without training, Multiple Russian Armored Vehicles Destroyed in Single Battle, Ukrainian Brigade Says, The mysterious death of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrovs favorite fighter. He bombarded military officials, prosecutors and investigators with appeals for help. The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs. The range of experience varies. "We do not have any camps or incarceration facilities, or the like [for Russian soldiers]," President Putin insisted earlier this month. "We rushed forward with short overnight stays, without trenches, without reconnaissance. ", "We do not have any problems with soldiers leaving combat positions," the Kremlin leader continued. War-weary Russian soldiers have been thrown in jail by their commanders after they refused to fight in Ukraine over the invasions total disregard for human life, a new report claims. A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. 2d ago. 2023 Cable News Network. Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. 2023 BBC. Never mind the myriad reports of Russian troops refusing to fight by the thousands, sabotaging their own shoddy equipment and even deliberately wounding themselves to abandon the war, Russian . Vladimir Putins forces launched an invasion of Ukraine in February but never formally declared war, meaning soldiers can be fired but shouldnt be jailed, an attorney who has represented reluctant soldiers told the newspaper. They would be looking at time in prison.. Soldiers with the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps rioted, according to the operational command. He shares that soldiers in Crimea refused to be . "Some soldiers, under the . Many of the newly mobilised troops were quick to complain that they were being sent to a war zone without sufficient equipment or adequate training. We didn't leave anyone in the rear, so if someone decided to come in from behind and hit us there was no protection. Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. Troops are saying no to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war. Ukrainian soldiers move on the road in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. He and several others who'd decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard.". A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . 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. "Those refusing to fight are doing so because they've had more than their fair share of front line action," explains Elena Popova. On 15 February, Ukraines Defence Intelligence reported that Russias losses were the largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. By Robert Coalson. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. Leviev says his team estimates a sizeable minority of the Russian contract soldiers sent to Ukraine to fight in the initial invasion refused to go back again. It's absurd. A group of Russian soldiers are suing the army after they were fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine. Another soldier from the 205th Brigade also said commanders gave no preparation to soldiers before the war, and when the units deployed, they were told they were going on exercises. I didn't look back.". Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. If I dont get the compensation that I am entitled to soon, I will go public and make a major issue of it., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. We've changed them to protect their identities. He believed it was right. According to Kaminsky, the pressure ended up working in part: As of July 16, 50 of the 78 soldiers who had demanded to return to their home base had relented. ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. A stamp that was purportedly placed in the military-service booklet of one soldier who refused to serve in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military on Friday reported significant fighting near Ivankiv, about 40 miles north west of Kyiv, as Russian forces apparently tried to advance on the capital from the north. The private then pushed the officer in the chest. Russian military regulations provide some legal justification and procedures for soldiers who disobey orders, according to Sergei Krivenko, a rights activist -- particularly for those who state they are anti-war, or pacifists. Not only are they clueless, but they're simply refusing to fight, Scherba, who is currently in western Ukraine, tells co-host Molly-Jong-Fast. Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. In Buryatia, where the 11th Brigade is based, dozens of personnel have sought legal assistance from local activists, seeking to break their contracts and get out of service in Ukraine, for various reasons. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. 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Russian rights activists say hundreds, possibly thousands of troops are balking at orders to deploy, to keep fighting, or to remain on the battlefield without rotating out or home. Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, said the authorities may be worried that a general mobilisation would antagonise large sections of the population that support the special operation. Hes not refusing to carry out orders, so the article on insubordination or disobeying orders isnt relevant either, because hes not refusing to do so, he said. "I think that [so many of] our guys died largely because of this. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. 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. The Insider. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Instead, men in uniform arrived and offered them amnesty if they agreed to fight alongside the Russian army in . Timofei Rozhanskiy is a correspondent in Kyiv for Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. Ukrainian . ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. Unit commanders then staged an intervention. Ukrainian service members are seen at the site of fighting with a Russian raiding group in Kyiv on the morning of February 26, 2022, according to Ukrainian service personnel at the scene. Without a formal . Nearly all . In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive. "But refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him to take. Sergei made several trips to the front line to try to secure his son's release. If a soldier acts according to such procedures, then he cannot be criminally prosecuted for this. "He said it was my choice. Brigade has suffered "extremely high casualties" while fighting in Ukraine. Russian troops sabotaging their own equipment and refusing orders in Ukraine, UK spy chief says Published Thu, Mar 31 2022 7:30 AM EDT Updated Thu, Mar 31 2022 4:40 PM EDT Chloe Taylor @ChloeTaylor141 At the beginning of April, Sergey was sent back over the border to a camp on the Russian side. We've received your submission. "It was blown up from a grenade launcher or something else. After that, I wont look at any new offers.. The Russian authorities dismiss reports of disillusioned soldiers and detention centres as fake news. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Under Russian military rules, troops who refuse to fight in Ukraine can face dismissal but cannot be prosecuted, said Mikhail Benyash, a lawyer who has been advising soldiers who choose that option. "Another reason is the foul way they're being treated. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. Russia launched the attack on Ukraine from three sides on February 24. "This is all nonsense and fake claims and there is nothing to back them up with. Im warning you, this is a final offer, he is heard telling the soldiers. Perhaps this is due to the weather conditions, which doesnt allow them to actively use military equipment now, the spokesperson said. Eventually his efforts paid off. Putin's army continues its full-scale aggression in Ukraine. Born in Russia, he graduated from St. Petersburg State University and also received film and video production training at Bard College in New York. Russia has also turned to mercenaries to bolster its war efforts, deploying fighters from the shadowy Kremlin-linked Wagner group. Stas was sent back to Russia. A Russian military unit deployed in Ukraine's south has refused to fight over a lack of vital supplies such as water, Ukraine said Sunday. I told him that he was a zombie. Within the dense smoke caused by the propaganda of one side or the other, the truth is that there does seem to be a good number of Russian soldiers who have refused to fight in Ukraine. A video showing two Russian soldiers being arrested after they refused to follow orders to fight in Ukraine has circulated on social media platform Telegram. Reports from Russia said authorities would call up 300,000 people with "relevant" skills or military experience. Reinforcements failed to arrive and soldiers were poorly equipped for the task of taking a large city. Was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs have been seeking such advice have said he bombarded officials. Russian soldiers are refusing orders, walking away from military bases or crossing border. 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