Russia launched the attack on Ukraine from three sides on February 24. 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. I will serve my remaining time and then I am out of here, he said. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. I told him that he was a zombie. This story has been shared 102,045 times. Stas, an army officer, had written a letter to the . . Lee said one option for the Kremlin would be to authorise the deployment of conscript units to Ukraine, despite Putins earlier pledges that Russia would not use any conscripts in the war. Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza; united press office of the courts of the Republic of Bashkortostan on Telegram Details: According to court materials, Corporal Marcel Kandarov has been charged with evading military service for more than one month . Eventually his efforts paid off. "Those refusing to fight are doing so because they've had more than their fair share of front line action," explains Elena Popova. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. "He said the [Russian] soldiers had been given no cover; there was no intelligence gathering; no preparation. Why wasn't it done?". One consequence of the Kremlin refusing to declare war on Kyiv - the regime insists that its invasion is a "special military operation", a distinct legal status - is that its options for forcing servicemen to the front are more limited. ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. Initially he "believed it was right" despite his dad trying to convince him not to go to war, the BBC report said. What is being given to Ukraine by the UK? By early July, Kaminsky said, he'd had enough: He refused to fight, one of 78 soldiers from his brigade who have refused orders. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russias southern city of Krasnodar who were fired after refusing to go to 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. They were furious. 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, 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. A Russian soldier's service card was stamped "traitor" for refusing . Some Russian soldiers and even whole units are "refusing to fight" in Ukraine, top UK security officials reported today. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The soldier said he broke his contract and resigned from the brigade before the February 24 invasion, once he realized it was in fact going forward. By India Today Web Desk: As Russian troops try to take control over Ukraine's capital Kyiv, residents of the city are taking up arms to stand in the fight along with the country's military against Moscow's invasion.India Today's Rajesh Pawar visited an office of the Territorial Defence Forces in the city, where citizens are being equipped with weapons to defend against and fight off the . 2023 BBC. They haven't been seen for five months. 02:32. If no ones willing to take the offers from the brigade commanders, I wont detain you. Reports from Russia said authorities would call up 300,000 people with "relevant" skills or military experience. 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. In his conversations with Current Time, Kaminsky lamented what he described as commanders callous disregard for the wellbeing of their troops. Soldiers with the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps rioted, according to the operational command. 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. He believes his commanders had planned to capture strongholds and key cities very quickly - and had calculated that the Ukrainians would simply surrender. "I'm morally exhausted. 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. Updated at 1:10 p.m. on April 14 to add that the soldier's lawyer has taken down the original photo of the service card. He is now home in Russia, having taken legal advice to avoid being sent back to the front line. July 19, 2022. He says his convoy - travelling through northern Ukraine - broke up after just four days when a bridge they were about to cross exploded, killing comrades ahead of them. "Another reason is the foul way they're being treated. Putin's army continues its full-scale aggression in Ukraine. 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. Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. They would be looking at time in prison.. More than 26,000 Russian military personnel have been killed in . Missing In Action: A Russian Soldier's Mother Desperately Seeks Answers, Vox Pop: Muscovites On How Russia's Isolation Affects Daily Life. Feb. 27 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. Youre just a soldier for them; youre nobody.. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. The servicemen were reportedly removed from their unit as punishment. The commanders know only violence and intimidation. The men, who belonged to the key headquarters of the Pskov . Commanders try to threaten their soldiers with prison time if they dissent, but we tell the soldiers that they can simply say no, Benyash said, adding that he was not aware of any criminal cases against soldiers who refused to fight. Almost all his comrades were under the age of 25. Soldiers are refusing to fire artillery on civilians until they clear the area. 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. 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. TASS said the soldier expressed his dissatisfaction with the training of mobilised servicemen outside Moscow. Their identities have been protected by the BBC. 2. 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.. appreciated. 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 . We drove around it and on, firing as we went. We were illegally jailed.. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . Ukraine's Operational Command South reported in a . For the remainder, however, unit commanders ordered them arrested, and held in a makeshift brig in the Luhansk region, according to Kaminsky, where they were being given food only once a day. 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. Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine. The whole time, not a single document was provided that would explain our arrest. 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. Sergey joined the army as a conscript - most Russian men between the ages of 18-27 must complete one year of compulsory military service. Refusal then would mean much harsher penalties. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive. 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 . April 7, 2022. Instead they were expected to operate without even basic equipment, such as night vision devices, he says. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust . 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. "I can see that the war continues, it is not going away," he told the BBC. A senior US defense official said Russian volunteers are refusing to go into . For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on the conflictin Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin touts success, yet some ofhis soldiers refuse to fight. 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 . Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. ", 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. My son told me, 'I never thought my own country would treat me this way.' As Russia's forces run out of food and fuel, some h Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. 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. After that, I wont look at any new offers.. I'm shocked by our army. Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine. Unit commanders then staged an intervention. A Warner Bros. There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. Law enforcement located the man, Marsel Kandarov, in September, the statement added. 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 As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. But, after a few months, he made the decision to sign a two-year professional contract which would also give him a salary. About 140 Russian soldiers have reportedly been jailed so far. 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. 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. So, they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. VLADIMIR Putin's demoralised and disillusioned troops are fleeing the war in Ukraine and surrendering without a fight, reports claim. Such an action would be "premature" without having assessed the harm to the military service he was involved in, the prosecutor said. 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. In . 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, Russian invaders refusing to go on offensive in Vuhledar area en masse, Life Cover+ Multiple Benefits in one plan, Russia redeploys unit of brigade created for war against Chechen Republic of Ichkeria near Vuhledar, Bedraggled Troops Declare Glory to Russia in Saddest Video Ever, Ukrainian Forces Demobilize Russian Tanks Near Frontline Town. 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. 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. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . 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. He said he would put his refusal in writing. He told me his face was covered in blood. Perhaps this is due to the weather conditions, which doesnt allow them to actively use military equipment now, the spokesperson said. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. A month later - 24 February, the day Russia launched its invasion - he was told to cross the border. In another incident, Sergey says he had to overtake comrades trapped inside a burning vehicle in front of him. About 60 Russian paratroopers mutinied and refused to fight in Ukraine, according to Russian press reports related to Putin's government. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. We didnt have normal munitions, no flak jackets or helmets. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was covered in blood, his father has claimed. "It's a way of making people go back into that bloodbath," says Elena Popova from Russia's Movement of Conscientious Objectors. 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