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. Three days of duty? 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. They ignore any requests. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories . Not from the opposing side. Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of the invasion from its . They would be looking at time in prison.. He believes his commanders had planned to capture strongholds and key cities very quickly - and had calculated that the Ukrainians would simply surrender. Soldiers with the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps rioted, according to the operational command. . Reports of Russian soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine are also mounting. 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 . The whole time, not a single document was provided that would explain our arrest. Other units include troops from private military companies like Vagner, or specialized, semiautonomous units overseen by Chechnyas strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. But there's a more common explanation. He refused. But analysts say voluntary recruits and mercenary groups are unlikely to lead to a substantial increase in the number of new soldiers, compared with the numbers that a partial or a full-scale mobilisation would bring. I thought a long time about it and came to the decision. President Vladimir Putin had on September 21 ordered a mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight in Ukraine, sparking protests and an exodus of eligible men from the country. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. A senior US defense official said Russian volunteers are refusing to go into . But significant damage has been done to that army, which has confronted logistical problems, poor morale and an underestimated Ukrainian resistance. These people are ready for anything. 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. "Another reason is the foul way they're being treated. I dont regret it one bit. 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. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Institute for the Study of War said on 14 February that the deployment of conscripted servicemen by Russian troops is unlikely to create sufficient offensive potential for a large-scale and rapid mechanised offensive. Initially he "believed it was right" despite his dad trying to convince him not to go to war, the BBC report said. Sergei has invited us to his home to tell us their story. A group of desperate Russian soldiers have issued an open letter by way of video to despotic President Vladimir Putin. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was covered in blood, his father has claimed. The president announced what he called a "partial mobilisation", drafting hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens into the armed forces. 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. Their identities have been protected by the BBC. At the beginning of April, Sergey was sent back over the border to a camp on the Russian side. The soldier's testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the fight. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake. 2d ago. It doesn't make sense. 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 . "We're on the same wavelength now," Sergei tells me. Im warning you, this is a final offer, he is heard telling the soldiers. Emilio Morenatti. 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. 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 . But you have until 6 p.m. today. 'I'm Warning You, This Is A Final Offer' Why Russian Soldiers Are Refusing To Fight In The War On Ukraine. Read about our approach to external linking. My son told me, 'I never thought my own country would treat me this way.' Many Russian soldiers would rather be dismissed or transferred than fight in Ukraine. I'm shocked by our army. The troops are getting exhausted they wont be able to keep this up for a long period.. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. ", "My first thoughts were 'Is this really happening to me?'". 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. I understood that I had to refuse so I could stay alive, he said. Many soldiers, therefore, have chosen to be fired or transferred rather than going into the meat grinder, he said. But his stand changed after the soldier found out he had been sent to fight with "no intelligence gathering, no preparation and no cover". Soldiers are refusing to fire artillery on civilians until they clear the area. 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. Im supposed to be ready for any situation; this war, this special operation, one soldier wrote. 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. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. Some Russian soldiers and even whole units are "refusing to fight" in Ukraine, top UK security officials reported today. Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova said all of the Ukrainian defenders on Snake Island were killed in an exchange with a Russian warship after they refused to surrender. Russias troops in Ukraine are largely made up of contract soldiers: volunteer personnel who sign fixed-term contracts for service. A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. Command post guard duty? Read about our approach to external linking. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. 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. 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. We drove around it and on, firing as we went. Newsweek was unable to independently verify those claims but reached out to Russia's foreign ministry for comment. The airline carrier Wizz Air has announced it will . ACI Prensa Staff, Feb 27, 2023 / 13:45 pm (CNA). The Insider. Fewer and fewer Russian servicemen want to fight for the Kremlin's invading plans. "Then they took him into a room and told him: 'You're coming with us, otherwise we'll kill you.' That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. They don't care about the life of a soldier; whats more important is his position and rank, Kaminsky said. In . The BBC has been speaking to one such soldier. "There are held in pits, tortured and things like that. He and several others who'd decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard.". Source: cnnespanol All news articles on 2023-02-28 You may like. So, they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. Some troops are refusing orders, walking away from military bases or crossing the border into Ukraine and switching sides, media reports show. Despite speculation beforehand, Putin did not formally declare war on Ukraine during his Victory Day speech on 9 May. Reinforcements failed to arrive and soldiers were poorly equipped for the task of taking a large city. That's what people who have come from there say.". It's not a war of liberation'," the man told the BBC. Because there are no criminal articles for requesting the termination of a contract based on anti-war beliefs, Krivenko told Current Time. 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. Ilya Kononov, a contract soldier from the city of Pskov in western Russia, was charged with "unauthorized abandonment of the unit" in July, court records show. 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. The commanders know only violence and intimidation. 2023 Cable News Network. It said that the troops lacked support, while personnel in advanced positions didn't have water. (Reuters Photo) Russian soldiers fighting the war in Ukraine are in disarray and crying as they are asked to "fire at . Russian authorities quietly stepped up their efforts to recruit new soldiers as it became clear that a quick victory in Ukraine was unattainable. Almost immediately his unit found itself under attack. 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. We didn't leave anyone in the rear, so if someone decided to come in from behind and hit us there was no protection. And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. 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. 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. Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. But the soldier later discussed with his father what would happen if he refused to fight. 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. CNN in Russia 10 videos. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much "It's a way of making people go back into that bloodbath," says Elena Popova from Russia's Movement of Conscientious Objectors. There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . 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. "In a situation when there is shelling or bombs falling, all normal people cannot help but react to it, even on the physiological level. They didn't even [try to] dissuade us, because we weren't the first," Sergey told the BBC. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. 1 min read. 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.. "As an officer he understood that if they went ahead, they wouldn't get out alive. But they eventually calmed down because there wasnt much they could do, he said. Honestly, we had to supply ourselves with food. Later that month he received an order to return to Ukraine - but told his commander that he was not prepared to go. The attack is doubly unjust. We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the occupiers are not able to resolve problems with manning their units. "They are keeping people there because they wanted to leave, refused to fight," the father alleged. A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. All Rights Reserved. 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 . 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. 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. But then someone said they'd take my son to work in the storeroom. Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. Did you encounter any technical issues? We had no food, no water, he said. The latest as of 7.15 a.m. The Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported Friday that Russian officials have detained contract soldiers who refuse to fight in special detention camps in occupied Ukraine. Ukrainian media claims a "riot" broke out on the warships, based in nearby Crimea.. At the same time, a number of Russian helicopters and drones were flying over Luzanivka beach, preparing for landing.. During wartime, rules are totally different. Many of us simply did not want to go back, said Dmitri, a member of the unit who asked not to be identified with his real name. 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. 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 . Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . Sergei made several trips to the front line to try to secure his son's release. Russian . 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. Servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine. 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. "It was a difficult decision for him to take. Early in the war, Kaminsky said, commanders ordered the brigade to defend a line opposite Ukrainian forces that stretched up to 64 kilometers in length (40 miles) about four times what the brigades troop strength could reasonably protect. 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. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing. Conscripts could fill some of the gaps, but they will be poorly trained. 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". A video of the incident that circulated online showed the soldier complaining of poor training, using obscenities, and calling the drills an imitation. "In these months [of compulsory military service] that I have left, anything - including the worst - could happen. "Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where they . Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russia's . Almost all his comrades were under the age of 25. Never thought my own country would treat me this way. me to go the decision for! Any situation ; this war, this is a final offer ' Why soldiers! Russian volunteers are refusing to fight in Ukraine refused so they could do he! 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