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. 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 . "There are held in pits, tortured and things like that. 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.. Members of Wagner told the captive soldiers that mines surrounded the military base where they were being held and threatened to shoot anyone trying to escape, the soldier wrote. The arrests of the soldiers, whose . Many of the units that are supposed to train conscripts are fighting themselves, Lee said. The code has been copied to your clipboard. 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. 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. The young Russian was among those men who enlisted. The Kremlin has declined to call for a general mobilization to replenish lost troops, instead using what analysts have described a covert, hybrid campaign to recruit fresh troops: using private military companies, extended age limitations, lucrative financial incentives, and sometimes coercive persuasion to bolster the ranks. "This is all nonsense and fake claims and there is nothing to back them up with. A Warner Bros. We've changed them to protect their identities. Theyre making everything so easy for you, guys. Instead they were expected to operate without even basic equipment, such as night vision devices, he says. Russias troops in Ukraine are largely made up of contract soldiers: volunteer personnel who sign fixed-term contracts for service. What is being given to Ukraine by the UK? Stas was sent back to Russia. "We rushed forward with short overnight stays, without trenches, without reconnaissance. Newsweek was unable to independently verify those claims but reached out to Russia's foreign ministry for comment. According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. 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 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". This is not our war. 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. The bosses response was: We dont care about your problems, go ahead and quit. "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. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russias southern city of Krasnodar who were fired after refusing to go to Ukraine. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks in the Ukraine war that triggered criticism of the army's leadership. As Russia's forces run out of food and fuel, some h One year from the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, a Catholic priest recounted how a Ukrainian soldier was spared from being killed by . He managed to contact his mother, Oxana, back in Russia to tell her what was going on. We had no food, no water, he said. 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. I thought a long time about it and came to the decision. Some Russian soldiers and even whole units are "refusing to fight" in Ukraine, top UK security officials reported today. I understood that I had to refuse so I could stay alive, he said. July 19, 2022. ", "My first thoughts were 'Is this really happening to me?'". Other units include troops from private military companies like Vagner, or specialized, semiautonomous units overseen by Chechnyas strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. Feb. 27 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. He is now home in Russia, having taken legal advice to avoid being sent back to the front line. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . Separately, a military tribunal said it sentenced Kandarov to five years behind bars for evading military service during mobilisation for more than a month. Troops are saying no to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war. Missing In Action: A Russian Soldier's Mother Desperately Seeks Answers, Vox Pop: Muscovites On How Russia's Isolation Affects Daily Life. 2023 BBC. Stas told his father about one particular battle. "The commanders' aim is to keep the soldiers down there. But after a certain adaptation period, our men fight brilliantly.". News/Politics 2022-12-22T11:35:49.577Z. Once again, we have changed their names. Rumours abound of some Russian soldiers defying orders and refusing to cross into Ukraine to fight. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. I told him that he was a zombie. 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. In all, 78 soldiers including Kaminsky openly challenged his orders, and demanded to be either sent home or reassigned, he said. A video of the incident that circulated online showed the soldier complaining of poor training, using obscenities, and calling the drills an imitation. In January, Sergey was sent near the border with Ukraine for what he was told would be military drills. Many Russian soldiers would rather be dismissed or transferred than fight in Ukraine. Three days of duty? But from our own side.". Why Russian Soldiers Are Refusing To Fight In The War On Ukraine. "So off he went to Ukraine. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. They'd been ordered to advance, but no one knew what lay ahead. He said he himself had written some 20 complaints and demands for reassignment, but his superior officers had rejected them -- or even tore the papers up completely. "But he said he was going. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on the conflictin Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin touts success, yet some ofhis soldiers refuse to fight. He refused. Youre just a soldier for them; youre nobody.. They don't care about the life of a soldier; whats more important is his position and rank, Kaminsky said. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. By Robert Coalson. Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. Russia has also turned to mercenaries to bolster its war efforts, deploying fighters from the shadowy Kremlin-linked Wagner group. He and several others who'd decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard.". 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. 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. He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. 2. 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. ", "We do not have any problems with soldiers leaving combat positions," the Kremlin leader continued. He gets it now. 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. Russian forces were driven out of much of the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September by a Ukrainian counter-offensive that allowed Kyiv to retake thousands of square kilometres of territory. But he stresses that Russian military law does include clauses which allow soldiers to refuse to fight if they don't want to. 2023 Cable News Network. 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. Stas, an army officer, had written a letter to the . "So many people don't . A group of Russian soldiers are suing the army after they were fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine. About 60 Russian paratroopers mutinied and refused to fight in Ukraine, according to Russian press reports related to Putin's government. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . A Russian soldier who refused to fight in the war in Ukraine was allegedly beaten and locked up by his own comrades, according to a report. Im tired. A Russian serviceman takes part in military exercises outside the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Russian Far East on September 4. The man narrated the ordeal his son suffered to the BBC, saying that he had begged his son not to go. It said that the troops lacked support, while personnel in advanced positions didn't have water. The range of experience varies. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". It wouldn't cost much to equip us. 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. He told me his face was covered in blood. Many soldiers, therefore, have chosen to be fired or transferred rather than going into the meat grinder, he said. Reports from Russia said authorities would call up 300,000 people with "relevant" skills or military experience. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. For many Russian soldiers, the war in Ukraine is one they don't want to fight. Its members have been deployed in the Donetsk area and are supposed to take control of the defense line until March 5, he added. 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. Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. 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VLADIMIR Putin's demoralised and disillusioned troops are fleeing the war in Ukraine and surrendering without a fight, reports claim. A group of desperate Russian soldiers have issued an open letter by way of video to despotic President Vladimir Putin. Sergey is just one of hundreds of Russian soldiers understood to have been seeking such advice. I still havent seen her. Back in his living room, Sergei tells me that what happened to Stas in Ukraine has brought them closer together. 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. 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 said the [Russian] soldiers had been given no cover; there was no intelligence gathering; no preparation. 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 . 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. 1 min read. 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. 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 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 . He's changed completely. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Read about our approach to external linking. Because they ignore everything. I want to return to my family and not in a casket.. I told him: 'Better to take it. "We were like blind kittens. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) A U.S. Army veteran from Wisconsin died on Feb. 16 while fighting on the . Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake. Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. The Russian defense ministry didnt respond to the Guardians request for comment. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. The airline carrier Wizz Air has announced it will . Why Russian Soldiers Are Refusing To Fight In The War On Ukraine. We were illegally jailed.. 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. "Later I was told that the building they were in had been shelled and that all five men were missing. "Those refusing to fight are doing so because they've had more than their fair share of front line action," explains Elena Popova. A Russian court sentenced Marsel Kandarov to five years in prison for refusing to take part in the special military operation. '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. 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. I told him: 'Better to take it. And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". In a rare public spat involving the Kremlin, 25 National Guard 'refuseniks' defied their . Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. 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. Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. They didn't even [try to] dissuade us, because we weren't the first," Sergey told the BBC. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . 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. Putin needs to make a decision regarding mobilisation in the coming weeks, said Rob Lee, a military analyst. My contract ends in June. "I can see that the war continues, it is not going away," he told the BBC. Russian . Ilya Kononov, a contract soldier from the city of Pskov in western Russia, was charged with "unauthorized . Produced by Will Vernon. I signed a contract. Despite speculation beforehand, Putin did not formally declare war on Ukraine during his Victory Day speech on 9 May. The prisoners at the penal colony in St. Petersburg were expecting a visit by officials, thinking it would be some sort of inspection. As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. In Kononov's case, court documents say that he pleaded guilty to evading military service and that he testified he wanted to take a temporary break from fighting in Ukraine. 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. We drove around it and on, firing as we went. 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. For that they sent my son to a detention centre. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. 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 . They began to stir and offer up some alternatives when people started specifically saying no, he said. Quote from the General Staff: "Troops from the so-called . Read about our approach to external linking. Russia Ukraine War One Year Anniversary Ukrainian troops and their UK military instructors, commemorate lives lost in the Russian invasion of Ukraine during a sunrise commemorative service, at . In . He said the "Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most massive violations of human rights" being witnessed in the world today. Born in Russia, he graduated from St. Petersburg State University and also received film and video production training at Bard College in New York. The Insider. (Reuters Photo) Russian soldiers fighting the war in Ukraine are in disarray and crying as they are asked to "fire at . They forgot their military oaths, the ceremonial promise, their vows of duty to their Fatherland, the board reads. Law enforcement located the man, Marsel Kandarov, in September, the statement added. 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