A group of Russian soldiers are suing the army after they were fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. In January, Sergey was sent near the border with Ukraine for what he was told would be military drills. The official warned that the next phase of the war was likely to be an "attritional conflict" which could last . Daughter of Putin ally dies when . There have been an estimated 140 soldiers put behind bars in eastern Ukraine, with some allegedly guarded by pro-Moscow mercenaries in a military base surrounded by land mines, the Guardian reported. Produced by Will Vernon. Separately, a military tribunal said it sentenced Kandarov to five years behind bars for evading military service during mobilisation for more than a month. 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. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust . The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. 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 . While speaking, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing him away. It caught fire and there were [Russian] soldiers inside. 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. He believed it was right. Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. A stamp that was purportedly placed in the military-service booklet of one soldier who refused to serve in Ukraine. Images by Anton Chicherov. "Some soldiers, under the . But that means that - while his letter of refusal to fight was accepted - there are no guarantees he won't be sent back to Ukraine during his service period. Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine. This is not our war. 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 . A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. AP. "We're on the same wavelength now," Sergei tells me. All asked that their names be withheld for fear of further punishment or retaliation by commanders. From Ukraine there have been multiple reports of mobilised Russian troops being detained - in some cases, locked in cellars and basements - for refusing to return to the frontline. 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. 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. The bosses response was: We dont care about your problems, go ahead and quit. It wouldn't cost much to equip us. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Newsweek was unable to independently verify those claims but reached out to Russia's foreign ministry for comment. We've received your submission. 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. Ukrainian . April 16, 2022 17:49 GMT. And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. 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. More than 26,000 Russian military personnel have been killed in . The URL has been copied to your clipboard. Just refuse," Sergei recalls telling Stas, who was already an army officer. In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. 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. There are no legal grounds to start a criminal case if a soldier refuses to fight while on Russian territory.. More than 100 Russian national guardsmen have been fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine, court documents show, in what looks to be the clearest indication yet of dissent among some parts of . Along with eight others, Dmitri told his commanders that he refused to rejoin the invasion. Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. Separately, a military tribunal in Moscow sentenced a soldier to five years and six months in a penal colony for beating an officer during an argument, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday. During wartime, rules are totally different. 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. Ukraine's Operational Command South reported in a . Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. In his conversations with Current Time, Kaminsky lamented what he described as commanders callous disregard for the wellbeing of their troops. "I don't want to go [back to Ukraine] to kill and be killed," says Sergey - not his real name - who spent five weeks fighting in Ukraine earlier this year. We were illegally jailed.. They were furious. But you cannot force people to fight.". It doesn't make sense. Why wasn't it done?". The men, who belonged to the key headquarters of the Pskov . Heavy street fighting against Russian troops was underway in Kyiv as officials urged locals to take immediate shelter. Approximately 60 paratroopers from Russia's Pskov region have refused to be deployed to Ukraine, newspaper Pskovskaya . (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) A U.S. Army veteran from Wisconsin died on Feb. 16 while fighting on the . But without conscript battalions, Russia could soon struggle to hold the territory it currently controls in Ukraine, especially as Ukraine receives better equipment from Nato, he said. There is absolutely no trust in the authorities and the higher command, from the very first word, Kaminsky, 20, told Current Time in a phone interview on July 17, recorded from an undisclosed location in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. It soon became clear that not everyone was onboard with it. 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. They haven't been seen for five months. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". I have nothing to be ashamed of. ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. I have served for five years in the army. The discontent in Kaminskys 11th Brigade is not an isolated case, and there are indications that Russian commanders are trying different tactics to keep the problem from spiraling out of control: for example, publicly shaming soldiers who are refusing to fight. 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. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Mr Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 23. Some Russian soldiers and even whole units are "refusing to fight" in Ukraine, top UK security officials reported today. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on the conflict in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin boasts of success, though some of his soldiers refuse to fight. 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 . One commander in northern Russia requested a criminal case be brought against his subordinate who would not return to Ukraine, but a military prosecutor refused to proceed, according to documents seen by the BBC. 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. 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. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. A Russian serviceman takes part in military exercises outside the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Russian Far East on September 4. Reports of Russian soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine are also mounting. Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. Sergei has invited us to his home to tell us their story. Russian servicemen near Kherson, Ukraine - 20 May 2022, By Olesya Gerasimenko and Kateryna Khinkulova, A convoy of Russian military vehicles heading towards the Donbas region - 23 February 2022, Local residents by a destroyed Russian tank in Sloboda, Chernihiv, Ukraine - 8 May 2022, Banner with the letters Z and V, in support of the Russian military, on a building in Moscow - 19 May 2022, Russian service personnel rehearse for the Victory Day Parade in Moscow - 7 May 2022, President Vladimir Putin visits soldiers wounded during the conflict in Ukraine - 25 May 2022, Pinned down by Russian fire in key front line village. The enemy has somewhat reduced its activity for the fourth day, he said. Russia announced the mobilisation of 300,000 men in late September after suffering battlefield defeats at the hands of Ukrainian forces. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. He and several others who'd decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard.". CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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. Its members have been deployed in the Donetsk area and are supposed to take control of the defense line until March 5, he added. 1 min read. About 60 Russian paratroopers mutinied and refused to fight in Ukraine, according to Russian press reports related to Putin's government. I told him: 'Better to take it. His superiors argued that he should not be given the monetary compensation of up to 2,500 that wounded Russians are entitled to by law because his injury took place on Russian soil meaning it did not fall under the rules of Russias special military operation. And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". 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. The latest as of 7.15 a.m. They'd been ordered to advance, but no one knew what lay ahead. ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. VLADIMIR Putin's demoralised and disillusioned troops are fleeing the war in Ukraine and surrendering without a fight, reports claim. "There are held in pits, tortured and things like that. 'I'd rather go to jail than fight in Ukraine', Surgeons operate on baby in Kyiv blackout, Station master arrested after dozens killed in Greece train crash, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, India anti-corruption crusader fighting to clear his name, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks in the Ukraine war that triggered criticism of the army's leadership. I told him that he was a zombie. All Rights Reserved. Read about our approach to external linking. Fewer and fewer Russian servicemen want to fight for the Kremlin's invading plans. "You've got relatives there. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories . Hundreds were discharged after refusing to take part in the invasion, the Guardian previously reported. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. Quote from the General Staff: "Troops from the so-called . But from our own side.". The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a . RUSSIAN soldiers are suffering from low morale with some reportedly refusing to fight the war in Ukraine, according to a member of an elite Russian army unit on the ground. The BBC has been speaking to one such soldier. 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. When his son was sent to fight in Ukraine, Sergei begged him not to go. 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. Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. Reinforcements failed to arrive and soldiers were poorly equipped for the task of taking a large city. "I had thought that we were the Russian army, the most super-duper in the world," says the young man bitterly. Instead they were expected to operate without even basic equipment, such as night vision devices, he says. Although Sergey does not want to return to the front line, he does want to complete his outstanding military service in Russia to avoid any unforeseen consequences. 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. Conscripts could fill some of the gaps, but they will be poorly trained. As they stopped for the evening in an abandoned farm, their commander said: "Well, as you will have worked out by now, this is not a joke. It's not a war of liberation.' Paratroopers from the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade, based outside Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Buryatia region in eastern Siberia, arrived in Ukraines Kherson region on February 24, shortly after Russias invasion began. 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. Russia has also turned to mercenaries to bolster its war efforts, deploying fighters from the shadowy Kremlin-linked Wagner group. 2023 Cable News Network. I will serve my remaining time and then I am out of here, he said. He said he would put his refusal in writing. Soldiers with the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps rioted, according to the operational command. In his unit of 50 people, 10 were killed and 10 others wounded. 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 . "But refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him to take. Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. Andrei, a Russian lieutenant, stopped fighting. Three days of duty? People in Kyiv are being warned of street fighting and "subversive groups" on the third day of the Russian invasion, with reports of 198 Ukrainians dead nationwide since troops first crossed the . "Then they took him into a room and told him: 'You're coming with us, otherwise we'll kill you.' The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs. The Insider. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 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. "I'm morally exhausted. 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. He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. Sergey is just one of hundreds of Russian soldiers understood to have been seeking such advice. But after a certain adaptation period, our men fight brilliantly.". Ukrainian soldiers move on the road in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Fourth day, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who was already an officer! Fewer Russian servicemen want to fight was a serving officer in the army for desertion or going AWOL Gardner. 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