A stamp that was purportedly placed in the military-service booklet of one soldier who refused to serve in Ukraine. 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 . In another incident where Russian soldiers have been accused of refusing to fight in Ukraine, the country's Operational Command South said Sunday in a Facebook post that a Russian military unit deployed in the south would not fight because of a lack of vital supplies such as water. I thought a long time about it and came to the decision. 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. Their identities have been protected by the BBC. "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. 'You're Nobody' The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. About 140 Russian soldiers have reportedly been jailed so far. During wartime, rules are totally different. The arrests of the soldiers, whose . Ukrainian service members are seen at the site of fighting with a Russian raiding group in Kyiv on the morning of February 26, 2022, according to Ukrainian service personnel at the scene. Unit commanders then staged an intervention. All Rights Reserved. The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing. Theyre making everything so easy for you, guys. 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 . I will serve my remaining time and then I am out of here, he said. Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! My daughter was born three months ago. For that they sent my son to a detention centre. The way my son was treated wasn't only illegal, it was inhuman.". And this, according to a video on social media app Telegram, has . Daughter of Putin ally dies when . About 60 Russian paratroopers mutinied and refused to fight in Ukraine, according to Russian press reports related to Putin's government. 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. The range of experience varies. It's not a war of liberation.' ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. I want to return to my family and not in a casket.. But after a certain adaptation period, our men fight brilliantly.". 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 . It wouldn't cost much to equip us. Reports from Russia said authorities would call up 300,000 people with "relevant" skills or military experience. 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. 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. He's changed completely. Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. But from our own side.". Stas, an army officer, had written a letter to the . He simply declares that he has anti-war convictions. Hundreds were discharged after refusing to take part in the invasion, the Guardian previously reported. The official warned that the next phase of the war was likely to be an "attritional conflict" which could last . 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. Independent Russian media have also been reporting hundreds of cases of soldiers refusing repeat deployments to Ukraine since the beginning of April. 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. This is not our war. For some Russians, refusing to return to the front line may be a moral stand. But his stand changed after the soldier found out he had been sent to fight with "no intelligence gathering, no preparation and no cover". Russian soldiers are increasingly dying from accidental friendly fire . 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 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. Refusal then would mean much harsher penalties. Images by Anton Chicherov. Without a formal . 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. It caught fire and there were [Russian] soldiers inside. Newsweek was unable to independently verify those claims but reached out to Russia's foreign ministry for comment. 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. "He said the [Russian] soldiers had been given no cover; there was no intelligence gathering; no preparation. I have nothing to be ashamed of. But you cannot force people to fight.". Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. I have served for five years in the army. By The Associated Press August 11, 2022. Missing In Action: A Russian Soldier's Mother Desperately Seeks Answers, Vox Pop: Muscovites On How Russia's Isolation Affects Daily Life. I understand everything, of course. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. The code has been copied to your clipboard. "The commanders' aim is to keep the soldiers down there. Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". 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. 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. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the occupiers are not able to resolve problems with manning their units. Dmitri's refusal to fight in the war is the latest in a string of reports of Russian soldiers disobeying orders to join the fight. A video of the incident that circulated online showed the soldier complaining of poor training, using obscenities, and calling the drills an imitation. They would be looking at time in prison.. "Another reason is the foul way they're being treated. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. Instead, men in uniform arrived and offered them amnesty if they agreed to fight alongside the Russian army in . The soldiers testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the fight. 2023 Cable News Network. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust" in their higher command. "I think that [so many of] our guys died largely because of this. Eventually his efforts paid off. Russian military regulations provide some legal justification and procedures for soldiers who disobey orders, according to Sergei Krivenko, a rights activist -- particularly for those who state they are anti-war, or pacifists. 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". Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, Quote from the General Staff: "Troops from the so-called volunteer Cossack Detachment, attached to the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet, are refusing to continue to take part in offensive operations due to the failure of the offensive and significant personnel losses near Vuhledar.". "There are held in pits, tortured and things like that. A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. Command post guard duty? CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Putin needs to make a decision regarding mobilisation in the coming weeks, said Rob Lee, a military analyst. Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. All asked that their names be withheld for fear of further punishment or retaliation by commanders. Feb. 27 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. That's what people who have come from there say.". "They are keeping people there because they wanted to leave, refused to fight," the father alleged. Many soldiers, therefore, have chosen to be fired or transferred rather than going into the meat grinder, he said. News/Politics 2022-12-22T11:35:49.577Z. Many Russian soldiers would rather be dismissed or transferred than fight in Ukraine. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Mr Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 23. 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. Dmitris refusal to fight highlights some of the military difficulties the Russian army has faced as a result of the Kremlins political decision not to formally declare war on Ukraine preferring instead to describe the invasion, which will soon reach its fourth month, as a special military operation. 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. 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. 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. 2023 BBC. Of the 78 soldiers from Kaminskys unit who have disobeyed orders, some have been ordered held in a makeshift brig for days, he said. 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. Our commanders didnt even argue with us because we were not the first ones to leave, Bokov said. A month later - 24 February, the day Russia launched its invasion - he was told to cross the border. Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency. Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. In a rare public spat involving the Kremlin, 25 National Guard 'refuseniks' defied their . Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar, Russians pushing for breakthrough near Vuhledar, but unlikely to succeed, says UK intelligence, 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, Russia redeploys unit of brigade created for war against Chechen Republic of Ichkeria near Vuhledar, Ukrainian Forces Demobilize Russian Tanks Near Frontline Town, Irkutsk conscripts appeal to Putin for third time for being sent to war without training, Multiple Russian Armored Vehicles Destroyed in Single Battle, Ukrainian Brigade Says, The mysterious death of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrovs favorite fighter. Many of the units that are supposed to train conscripts are fighting themselves, Lee said. We've received your submission. A group of desperate Russian soldiers have issued an open letter by way of video to despotic President Vladimir Putin. But then someone said they'd take my son to work in the storeroom. 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