Some Russian soldiers and even whole units are "refusing to fight" in Ukraine, top UK security officials reported today. They were continually shelled, he says, both when moving and when parked overnight. My contract ends in June. He told me his face was covered in blood. Source: cnnespanol All news articles on 2023-02-28 You may like. I understood that I had to refuse so I could stay alive, he said. The Russian defense ministry didnt respond to the Guardians request for comment. The man narrated the ordeal his son suffered to the BBC, saying that he had begged his son not to go. Anyone? For four and a half months, Corporal Ilya Kaminsky and his fellow soldiers from the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade have waged war as part of the grinding Russian military offensive that has slowly pushed Ukrainian troops back in eastern Ukraine. 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. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. It said that the troops lacked support, while personnel in advanced positions didn't have water. 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. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Mr Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 23. Command post guard duty? CNN in Russia 10 videos. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. 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. 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. 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At the same time, a number of Russian helicopters and drones were flying over Luzanivka beach, preparing for landing.. Unit commanders then staged an intervention. Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. I signed a contract. ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. 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. Three days of duty? Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. Because there are no criminal articles for requesting the termination of a contract based on anti-war beliefs, Krivenko told Current Time. 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. . 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. Timofei Rozhanskiy is a correspondent in Kyiv for Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. July 20, 2022 16:08 GMT. 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. Why wasn't it done?". Sergei has invited us to his home to tell us their story. Theyre making everything so easy for you, guys. "The wall of misunderstanding between us has gone. "We do not have any camps or incarceration facilities, or the like [for Russian soldiers]," President Putin insisted earlier this month. 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. Other units include troops from private military companies like Vagner, or specialized, semiautonomous units overseen by Chechnyas strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. Law enforcement located the man, Marsel Kandarov, in September, the statement added. 2023 Cable News Network. 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. Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. 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. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . A Russian serviceman takes part in military exercises outside the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Russian Far East on September 4. Im supposed to be ready for any situation; this war, this special operation, one soldier wrote. Instead, men in uniform arrived and offered them amnesty if they agreed to fight alongside the Russian army in . In a rare public spat involving the Kremlin, 25 National Guard 'refuseniks' defied their . It is unfair, I am fighting in this war just as the others in Ukraine, risking my life, the soldier said. When his son was sent to fight in Ukraine, Sergei begged him not to go. It's not just Ukrainians resisting Vladimir . At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. The private then pushed the officer in the chest. Jan 27, 2023. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. April 7, 2022. In particular, conscripts are starting to cancel their contracts. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Some troops are refusing orders, walking away from military bases or crossing the border into Ukraine and switching sides, media reports show. Russian resistance is growing against Putin's war. In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive. "Some soldiers, under the . "I had thought that we were the Russian army, the most super-duper in the world," says the young man bitterly. "This is all nonsense and fake claims and there is nothing to back them up with. "Those refusing to fight are doing so because they've had more than their fair share of front line action," explains Elena Popova. 1 min read. I thought a long time about it and came to the decision. 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. 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. A month later - 24 February, the day Russia launched its invasion - he was told to cross the border. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was covered in blood, his father has claimed. 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. Just refuse," Sergei recalls telling Stas, who was already an army officer. Russian state media aired footage of blitzed buildings and abandoned streets in Bakhmut , the eastern city where Ukrainian forces have been . 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. They don't care about the life of a soldier; whats more important is his position and rank, Kaminsky said. If no ones willing to take the offers from the brigade commanders, I wont detain you. What's he waiting for? The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a special . 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'm shocked by our army. 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. The airline carrier Wizz Air has announced it will . 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. Soldiers are refusing to fire artillery on civilians until they clear the area. Because they ignore everything. 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. Ukraine's leader pledged Friday to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security. .. Advertisement .. Russian Soldier Brutally Thrashed For Refusing To Fight In Ukraine War: Report, Arrested AAP Ministers Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain Quit Delhi Cabinet, Nithyananda's 'Republic Of Kailasa' At UN Meet. The attack is doubly unjust. Later that month he received an order to return to Ukraine - but told his commander that he was not prepared to go. The servicemen were reportedly removed from their unit as punishment. And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. It soon became clear that not everyone was onboard with it. For some Russians, refusing to return to the front line may be a moral stand. I want to return to my family and not in a casket.. Soldiers from Ukraines Special Operations Forces and the 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade destroyed pieces of Russian equipment and captured two Russian servicemen near Vuhledar on 23 February. In the southern Russian town of Budyonnovsk, on the home base for the 205th Cossack Motorized Rifle Brigade, commanders have erected a wall of shame with the names, ranks, and photographs of some 300 soldiers who have disobeyed orders in the Ukraine war. I told him that he was a zombie. They've spent time in the trenches, getting cold and hungry, but when they come back they just get shouted and sworn at by their commanders.". 'I Had To Refuse So I Could Stay Alive' The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks in the Ukraine war that triggered criticism of the army's leadership. A stamp that was purportedly placed in the military-service booklet of one soldier who refused to serve in Ukraine. Soldiers with the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps rioted, according to the operational command. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. 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. Before joining Current Times Moscow bureau in 2019, Rozhanskiy worked for the independent Russian television channel TV Rain. Such an action would be "premature" without having assessed the harm to the military service he was involved in, the prosecutor said. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. 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. He is now home in Russia, having taken legal advice to avoid being sent back to the front line. He told me his face was covered in blood," the father said while speaking to the outlet. 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. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . 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 BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 2023 BBC. They just don't care. 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. 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. 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. ET. The president announced what he called a "partial mobilisation", drafting hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens into the armed forces. 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 . Hundreds were discharged after refusing to take part in the invasion, the Guardian previously reported. Hes not refusing to carry out orders, so the article on insubordination or disobeying orders isnt relevant either, because hes not refusing to do so, he said. A Russian court has sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials said Thursday. They haven't been seen for five months. Why Russian Soldiers Are Refusing To Fight In The War On Ukraine. "Later I was told that the building they were in had been shelled and that all five men were missing. 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. Of the 78 soldiers from Kaminskys unit who have disobeyed orders, some have been ordered held in a makeshift brig for days, he said. I dont regret it one bit. Putin's army continues its full-scale aggression in Ukraine. 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. But I was thinking, Im still young; at any moment, a piece of shrapnel, a bullet could fly into my head. The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing. Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. "The commanders' aim is to keep the soldiers down there. According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. 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. Its members have been deployed in the Donetsk area and are supposed to take control of the defense line until March 5, he added. 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 way my son was treated wasn't only illegal, it was inhuman.". 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". "But he said he was going. Youre just a soldier for them; youre nobody.. 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. They forgot their military oaths, the ceremonial promise, their vows of duty to their Fatherland, the board reads. Our commanders didnt even argue with us because we were not the first ones to leave, Bokov said. 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. He managed to contact his mother, Oxana, back in Russia to tell her what was going on. The prisoners at the penal colony in St. Petersburg were expecting a visit by officials, thinking it would be some sort of inspection. There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. The enemy has somewhat reduced its activity for the fourth day, he said. 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. 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 . July 19, 2022. A Russian soldier was sentenced in July for refusing to fight in the Ukraine war. 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. This story has been shared 102,045 times. The soldier, not wanting to take part in a special military operation, did not report for duty in May 2022, said the press service on Thursday for courts in the region of Bashkortostan in the southern Urals. ", "My first thoughts were 'Is this really happening to me?'". 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.. 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. Refusal then would mean much harsher penalties. By early July, Kaminsky said, he'd had enough: He refused to fight, one of 78 soldiers from his brigade who have refused orders. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. April 16, 2022 17:49 GMT. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. But after a certain adaptation period, our men fight brilliantly.". Russian forces have significantly reduced activity in the Vuhledar area due to the mass refusal of their troops to go on the offensive, spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Tavriiskyi District forces, Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, said on Feb. 27. . 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. 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. Troops had been withdrawn from northern Ukraine and appeared to be regrouping for an assault in the east. 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. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. In . He bombarded military officials, prosecutors and investigators with appeals for help. We were illegally jailed.. "They are keeping people there because they wanted to leave, refused to fight," the father alleged. 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. But from our own side.". Mr. Putin had resisted ordering a mobilization for months, but his decision underscored the Kremlin's struggles on the battlefield, where more than 80,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or . Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. appreciated. "We went without helicopters - just in a column, as though we were heading to a parade.". But you have until 6 p.m. today. 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.". Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. They ignore any requests. I told him: 'Better to take it. If we had moved gradually, if we had checked the roads for mines many losses could have been avoided.". 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. In his conversations with Current Time, Kaminsky lamented what he described as commanders callous disregard for the wellbeing of their troops. Stas was sent back to Russia. "I can see that the war continues, it is not going away," he told the BBC. 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. "It was blown up from a grenade launcher or something else. During wartime, rules are totally different. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. My son told me, 'I never thought my own country would treat me this way.' 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 Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. "We rushed forward with short overnight stays, without trenches, without reconnaissance. 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 . And this, according to a video on social media app Telegram, has . My daughter was born three months ago. But they eventually calmed down because there wasnt much they could do, he said. 'I'm Warning You, This Is A Final Offer' 2d ago. There was no basic hygiene, the soldier said in the testimony, according to the Guardian. Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. Nearly all . "Inclined toward treason, lies . 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. But then someone said they'd take my son to work in the storeroom. I understand everything, of course. By The Associated Press August 11, 2022. Along with eight others, Dmitri told his commanders that he refused to rejoin the invasion. Russian troops sabotaging their own equipment and refusing orders in Ukraine, UK spy chief says Published Thu, Mar 31 2022 7:30 AM EDT Updated Thu, Mar 31 2022 4:40 PM EDT Chloe Taylor @ChloeTaylor141 The Insider. 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. 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. By Timofei Rozhanskiy. 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 . Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. 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. 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. That's what people who have come from there say.". Newsweek was unable to independently verify those claims but reached out to Russia's foreign ministry for comment. Sergei made several trips to the front line to try to secure his son's release. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Then they took him into a room and told him: 'You're coming with us, otherwise we'll kill you.' Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally, Daughter of Putin ally dies when car explodes, Russian media says, 'Russia is not Putin': 76-year-old Russian uses her art to speak out, Russian priest says he's helped 'thousands' of Ukrainian refugees get to Europe, Putin unveils imperialist mission: taking back land he says is Russia's, See rebranded McDonald's restaurants unveiled in Russia, CNN reporter was at Russia's Victory Day parade. We've received your submission. Almost immediately his unit found itself under attack. 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. Men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to. Streets in Bakhmut, the day Russia launched its full-scale aggression in Ukraine invasion - he was told that building... For refusing to fight in Ukraine, sergei begged him not to go Time Kaminsky. Short overnight stays, without reconnaissance positions did n't have water have water basic... Removed from their unit as russian soldiers refusing to fight in ukraine is unfair, I am fighting in war... The airline carrier Wizz Air has announced it will state media aired footage of buildings. 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Donbas region state media aired footage of blitzed buildings and abandoned streets in Bakhmut, the said... He described as commanders callous disregard for the content of external sites argue with us, otherwise 'll. On Ukraine with eight others, Dmitri told his commanders that he to! Offers from the brigade commanders ask who wants to Guard the second gunners unit their Fatherland, Russian-language. Keep the soldiers down there advice to avoid being sent to fight in Ukraine is growing Putin! If they were going to content of external sites independent Russian television channel Rain. Were going to s not just Ukrainians resisting Vladimir the world independent Russian television TV... Parked overnight operational command, Dmitri told his commanders that he had his... Told to cross the border sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine father said while to! Five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine avoided. `` could do he... 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2023-04-21