But from our own side.". But even before that, there are many reports from our intelligence officers, who work quite successfully, about what is going at the enemy both in the rear and on the front line there are very frequent refusals to participate in hostilities., Read also: Russians pushing for breakthrough near Vuhledar, but unlikely to succeed, says UK intelligence. All Rights Reserved. In his conversations with Current Time, Kaminsky lamented what he described as commanders callous disregard for the wellbeing of their troops. Then I got a text message saying he and four other officers had been put in a basement. We didnt have normal munitions, no flak jackets or helmets. 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 . They said no remains had been found. "In a situation when there is shelling or bombs falling, all normal people cannot help but react to it, even on the physiological level. Ukraine's Operational Command South reported in a . 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. Ukrainians have been asked to avoid going near windows or on balconies and be . While speaking, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing him away. During wartime, rules are totally different. For some Russians, refusing to return to the front line may be a moral stand. Because there are no criminal articles for requesting the termination of a contract based on anti-war beliefs, Krivenko told Current Time. They were continually shelled, he says, both when moving and when parked overnight. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. ET. The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs. In . Reinforcements failed to arrive and soldiers were poorly equipped for the task of taking a large city. 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. AP. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". 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. 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. Servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine. A Russian soldier was sentenced in July for refusing to fight in the Ukraine war. At the beginning of April, Sergey was sent back over the border to a camp on the Russian side. Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Russia announced the mobilisation of 300,000 men in late September after suffering battlefield defeats at the hands of Ukrainian forces. 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. My contract ends in June. "We were like blind kittens. All his bravado has gone. Almost all his comrades were under the age of 25. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. He simply declares that he has anti-war convictions. 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. Stas was sent back to Russia. 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. 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. 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. An anonymous specialist from a coalition of lawyers and experts from Russian human rights organizations told independent Russian news outlet MediaZona that Kononov's punishment in the form of a one-year restriction in military service does not imply early dismissal and is instead "something like corrective labor for military personnel.". A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . 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. 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. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust . My daughter was born three months ago. He shares that soldiers in Crimea refused to be . 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. Russian . 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. 2023 BBC. This is not our war. In his unit of 50 people, 10 were killed and 10 others wounded. 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. The Insider. Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine. Kononov reportedly had taken part in President Vladimir Putin's so-called special military operation in the Eastern European nation but left his military unit without permission for more than 10 days. 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. He and several others who'd decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard.". 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 managed to contact his mother, Oxana, back in Russia to tell her what was going on. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. A junior sergeant said he was injured during one of the recent Ukrainian attacks on the Russian border territory where he was stationed. The latest as of 7.15 a.m. Benyash said "hundreds and hundreds" of soldiers had been in touch with his team for advice on how they could avoid being sent to fight. Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. Why wasn't it done?". The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Mr Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 23. Ilya Kononov, a contract soldier from the city of Pskov in western Russia, was charged with "unauthorized . 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. 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 Russian defense ministry didnt respond to the Guardians request for comment. Poland sent the German-made tanks to help Ukraine repel Russian troops and send a "clear and measurable signal of further support", said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who was visiting Kyiv . The Insider. "We went without helicopters - just in a column, as though we were heading to a parade.". Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. "But refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him to take. Artillery sentry duty? He said the "Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most massive violations of human rights" being witnessed in the world today. 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 . 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. Moscow initially put about 80% of its main ground combat forces 150,000 men into the war in February, according to western officials. "He said the [Russian] soldiers had been given no cover; there was no intelligence gathering; no preparation. 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. It said that the troops lacked support, while personnel in advanced positions didn't have water. Law enforcement located the man, Marsel Kandarov, in September, the statement added. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. Here's what he saw, CNN reporter returns to Russia for first time since January, Kremlin to showcase its military power in May 9th parade. By Robert Coalson. "He said it was my choice. "I had thought that we were the Russian army, the most super-duper in the world," says the young man bitterly. The Russian authorities dismiss reports of disillusioned soldiers and detention centres as fake news. "I can see that the war continues, it is not going away," he told the BBC. We've received your submission. He told me his face was covered in blood," the father said while speaking to the outlet. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unit commanders then staged an intervention. 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. A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. They just don't care. And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. Some soldiers, under the threat of violence, were simply driven out to unknown destinations, they have not been seen since, said Vladimir, according to the Guardian. Russias troops in Ukraine are largely made up of contract soldiers: volunteer personnel who sign fixed-term contracts for service. He bombarded military officials, prosecutors and investigators with appeals for help. Russian paratroopers. Stas, an army officer, had written a letter to the . Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! "We're on the same wavelength now," Sergei tells me. 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. R ussian troops have destroyed a concrete dam built in Ukraine's Kherson Region in 2014 to cut off water to Crimea, the RIA news agency quoted the governor of Russian-annexed Crimea Sergei . Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. Many Russian soldiers would rather be dismissed or transferred than fight in Ukraine. 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. "This is all nonsense and fake claims and there is nothing to back them up with. 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 believes his commanders had planned to capture strongholds and key cities very quickly - and had calculated that the Ukrainians would simply surrender. 'I'm Warning You, This Is A Final Offer' 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. Finance chiefs at a Group of 20 conference in India this weekend issued a joint statement condemning Moscow for its war in Ukraine, with only China and Russia declining to sign. I still havent seen her. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. A Warner Bros. Just refuse," Sergei recalls telling Stas, who was already an army officer. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Why Russian Soldiers Are Refusing To Fight In The War On Ukraine. But you have until 6 p.m. today. 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 . 2023 BBC. They began to stir and offer up some alternatives when people started specifically saying no, he said. He's changed completely. According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. The NY Times published a story on this topic today titled "Russia's New Offensive Sends Conscripts Into the Teeth of Ukraine's Lines." "Every day, sometimes more than once a day, small groups come forward and try to take our positions," said one of the Ukrainian soldiers who participated in the fight, and who asked to be identified only by his nickname, Diesel, for security reasons. 'I Had To Refuse So I Could Stay Alive' The troops are getting exhausted they wont be able to keep this up for a long period.. Russian resistance is growing against Putin's war. I have served for five years in the army. CNN in Russia 10 videos. Refusal then would mean much harsher penalties. Instead, men in uniform arrived and offered them amnesty if they agreed to fight alongside the Russian army in . 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. I told him: 'Better to take it. What is being given to Ukraine by the UK? When his son was sent to fight in Ukraine, Sergei begged him not to go. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . DeSantis won't say he's running. 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. "Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where they . 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. Discovery Company. He heard of Russian servicemen so inexperienced that they "did not know how to shoot and couldn't tell one end of a mortar from another". 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. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories . 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. Illegal arrests, according to western officials contracts for service on balconies and be is being given to Ukraine the... To the newspaper to a parade. `` I got a text message saying he and several who! Told the BBC is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to fight alongside the border... 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