BY
A Ukrainian serviceman of an artillery unit throws an empty shell as they fire towards Russian positions on the outskirts of Bakhmut. A number of videos have emereged of mobilized Russian troops complaining about poor training and a lack of command in Ukraine.SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A Russian soldier has revealed that he and his comrades are
refusing to follow orders after a chaotic dispatch to the war in Ukraine.
In a video that has quickly gone viral, the unnamed man stands
in front of a group of troops and says they are refusing to fight because of
the high losses their platoon has suffered.
The soldier said he had been drafted for the territorial defense
brigade in the Belgorod oblast, which borders Ukraine, and had been stationed
in the town of Shebekino until March 2.
His platoon was then sent to Donetsk, but without being told
that they were to join an assault brigade in the militia of the self-proclaimed
Donetsk People's Republic.
He said the troops had been transferred "without any
orders, explanations" and were told to storm villages "without
reconnaissance, without communications," or even maps.
The soldier, who described himself as a senior lieutenant, said
he and his comrades "do not refuse to complete objectives but only as part
of the Russian armed forces"—rather than serving under the Donetsk
militia.
He added: "Personnel are dying, this is all that is left of
my platoon, of the whole company. It is complete b*******."
His video, which has
appeared in independent Russian media outlets and been tweeted by the account War Translated, had been watched more than 490,000 times as of
Wednesday morning. Newsweek has not been able to independently verify the identity of the
man.
As if we are now getting used to almost daily videos from Russian mobilised soldiers, this one is different. The commander of this platoon is not appealing to Putin, but directly stating he is refusing to obey orders. These men were transferred to "DPR" for "meat assaults" and… https://t.co/KwxixW3cLe pic.twitter.com/vPWEYUDRZ7
— Dmitri (@wartranslated) March 7, 2023
Since
President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion
just over a year ago, a number of videos have been shared in which Russian
troops complain of poor training, inadequate equipment and sometimes even a
lack of proper orders.
More clips emerged after
Putin's partial mobilization order in September, which was followed by numerous anecdotes about the drafting of Russians
who were infirm.
Last month draftees in the 1439 regiment from the Irkutsk region
recorded a video appeal to the president, saying they were being sent to be
slaughtered after being placed under the command of Russian-backed separatists
in Donetsk.
The wife of one conscript told media outlet SibReal that most of
the men had been killed during an assault on the Donetsk town of Avdiivka.
Earlier this month, draftees from Russia's Orenburg region also
complained about the militia of the Donetsk People's Republic sending them to
the front lines as cannon fodder.
In a clip addressed to Putin, one of the men said his colleagues
did not have the skills to take part in assaults and had poor artillery, communications
and reconnaissance support.
"We are in a hopeless situation," he said. "We
are considered expendable."
Newsweek has
contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-war-donetsk-1786266
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