There are no legal grounds to start a criminal case if a soldier refuses to fight while on Russian territory.. 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. They ignore any requests. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. 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. Here's what he saw, CNN reporter returns to Russia for first time since January, Kremlin to showcase its military power in May 9th parade. '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. His unit moved on through the Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says. Russian paratroopers. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 'You're Nobody' "It's a way of making people go back into that bloodbath," says Elena Popova from Russia's Movement of Conscientious Objectors. "So many people don't . A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a special . A senior US defense official said Russian volunteers are refusing to go into . "He said the [Russian] soldiers had been given no cover; there was no intelligence gathering; no preparation. About 60 Russian paratroopers mutinied and refused to fight in Ukraine, according to Russian press reports related to Putin's government. "Another reason is the foul way they're being treated. 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 . A Russian soldier's service card was stamped "traitor" for refusing . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. Why wasn't it done?". Russian soldiers are increasingly dying from accidental friendly fire . 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. I signed a contract. Not from the opposing side. 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.. President Vladimir Putin promised that only professional soldiers would take part in his "special military operation.". The BBC has been speaking to one such soldier. But after a certain adaptation period, our men fight brilliantly.". 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. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. 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 . 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. 03:25. I understand everything, of course. Servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine. This is one of many reported incidents where Russian soldiers have been accused of refusing to take up arms in Ukraine. They forgot their military oaths, the ceremonial promise, their vows of duty to their Fatherland, the board reads. Reports of Russian soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine are also mounting. Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. 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. 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 refusenik troops add to Russian commanders headaches as they struggle to replenish spent and exhausted units across the roughly 480-kilometer (300-mile) front line stretching from east of Kharkiv in the northeast down to Kherson in south-central Ukraine. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Mr Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 23. An anonymous specialist from a coalition of lawyers and experts from Russian human rights organizations told independent Russian news outlet MediaZona that Kononov's punishment in the form of a one-year restriction in military service does not imply early dismissal and is instead "something like corrective labor for military personnel.". The private then pushed the officer in the chest. 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? All asked that their names be withheld for fear of further punishment or retaliation by commanders. Such an action would be "premature" without having assessed the harm to the military service he was involved in, the prosecutor said. RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. 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. .. 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. Sergey joined the army as a conscript - most Russian men between the ages of 18-27 must complete one year of compulsory military service. Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. I have served for five years in the army. 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. Leviev says his team estimates a sizeable minority of the Russian contract soldiers sent to Ukraine to fight in the initial invasion refused to go back again. In conversations with Current Time via the Russian social media giant VK, several soldiers from the brigade disputed the circumstances behind their inclusion on the wall of shame. Russian servicemen near Kherson, Ukraine - 20 May 2022, By Olesya Gerasimenko and Kateryna Khinkulova, A convoy of Russian military vehicles heading towards the Donbas region - 23 February 2022, Local residents by a destroyed Russian tank in Sloboda, Chernihiv, Ukraine - 8 May 2022, Banner with the letters Z and V, in support of the Russian military, on a building in Moscow - 19 May 2022, Russian service personnel rehearse for the Victory Day Parade in Moscow - 7 May 2022, President Vladimir Putin visits soldiers wounded during the conflict in Ukraine - 25 May 2022, Pinned down by Russian fire in key front line village. 2023 BBC. 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. He simply declares that he has anti-war convictions. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . 'I'm Warning You, This Is A Final Offer' Heavy street fighting against Russian troops was underway in Kyiv as officials urged locals to take immediate shelter. The enemy has somewhat reduced its activity for the fourth day, he said. Ukraine's Operational Command South reported in a . 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. ", "We do not have any problems with soldiers leaving combat positions," the Kremlin leader continued. In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive. Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine. 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. The Insider. "You've got relatives there. Reinforcements failed to arrive and soldiers were poorly equipped for the task of taking a large city. I didn't look back.". He is now home in Russia, having taken legal advice to avoid being sent back to the front line. ET. 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. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) A U.S. Army veteran from Wisconsin died on Feb. 16 while fighting on the . Ukrainian . 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. It caught fire and there were [Russian] soldiers inside. "In a situation when there is shelling or bombs falling, all normal people cannot help but react to it, even on the physiological level. A video of the incident that circulated online showed the soldier complaining of poor training, using obscenities, and calling the drills an imitation. "But refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him to take. My daughter was born three months ago. We didn't leave anyone in the rear, so if someone decided to come in from behind and hit us there was no protection. 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 court has sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials said Thursday. 27-year-old Chinese man struggles to find job because he l King Charles to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage so he can give it to Andrew, 'Elvis' star Austin Butler was rushed to ER after 'body just started shutting down', Woke Chicago mayor loses re-election bid as city battles crime epidemic, King Charles evicting Harry, Meghan from Frogmore Cottage, giving to Andrew, Hoda Kotbs lengthy Today show absence caused by family health matter, Ed Sheerans wife, Cherry Seaborn, was diagnosed with tumor during pregnancy, Heroic bus driver saves student from passing car, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of Today After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. By early July, Kaminsky said, he'd had enough: He refused to fight, one of 78 soldiers from his brigade who have refused orders. 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. 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. Russia launched the attack on Ukraine from three sides on February 24. "In these months [of compulsory military service] that I have left, anything - including the worst - could happen. As they stopped for the evening in an abandoned farm, their commander said: "Well, as you will have worked out by now, this is not a joke. It's not a war of liberation'," the man told the BBC. 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. Russias troops in Ukraine are largely made up of contract soldiers: volunteer personnel who sign fixed-term contracts for service. Although Sergey does not want to return to the front line, he does want to complete his outstanding military service in Russia to avoid any unforeseen consequences. 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. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. Three days of duty? The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a . The Russian authorities dismiss reports of disillusioned soldiers and detention centres as fake news. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Rumours abound of some Russian soldiers defying orders and refusing to cross into Ukraine to fight. 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. Jan 27, 2023. Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. Stas, an army officer, had written a letter to the . 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. Putin's army continues its full-scale aggression in Ukraine. If no ones willing to take the offers from the brigade commanders, I wont detain you. "He said it was my choice. In his conversations with Current Time, Kaminsky lamented what he described as commanders callous disregard for the wellbeing of their troops. Journalists fight on their own frontline. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. 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. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . 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. "I can see that the war continues, it is not going away," he told the BBC. Many Russian soldiers would rather be dismissed or transferred than fight in Ukraine. 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. Russian state media aired footage of blitzed buildings and abandoned streets in Bakhmut , the eastern city where Ukrainian forces have been . 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. A Russian soldier was sentenced in July for refusing to fight in the Ukraine war. "They are keeping people there because they wanted to leave, refused to fight," the father alleged. An investigation by the BBCs Russian service showed that Russias defence ministry filled employment websites with vacancies, offering people with no combat experience opportunities to join the army on lucrative short-term contracts. Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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. During wartime, rules are totally different. And there is no guarantee that more prosecutions might not emerge in the future. He believes his commanders had planned to capture strongholds and key cities very quickly - and had calculated that the Ukrainians would simply surrender. 2d ago. 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. 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. But even before that, there are many reports from our intelligence officers, who work quite successfully, about what is going at the enemy both in the rear and on the front line there are very frequent refusals to participate in hostilities., Read also: Russians pushing for breakthrough near Vuhledar, but unlikely to succeed, says UK intelligence. "As an officer he understood that if they went ahead, they wouldn't get out alive. 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 . According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake. By The Associated Press August 11, 2022. DeSantis won't say he's running. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. It wouldn't cost much to equip us. 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 . Command post guard duty? 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. R ussian troops have destroyed a concrete dam built in Ukraine's Kherson Region in 2014 to cut off water to Crimea, the RIA news agency quoted the governor of Russian-annexed Crimea Sergei . Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. 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. 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. Stas was sent back to Russia. Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. 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. My son told me, 'I never thought my own country would treat me this way.' The Russian defense ministry didnt respond to the Guardians request for comment. 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. Initially he "believed it was right" despite his dad trying to convince him not to go to war, the BBC report said. When his son was sent to fight in Ukraine, Sergei begged him not to go. appreciated. Brigade has suffered "extremely high casualties" while fighting in Ukraine. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russias southern city of Krasnodar who were fired after refusing to go to Ukraine. They were furious. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks in the Ukraine war that triggered criticism of the army's leadership. Unit commanders then staged an intervention. 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. Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. Sergei and Stas are not the real names of this father and son. 1 min read. There was no basic hygiene, the soldier said in the testimony, according to the Guardian. 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. Their identities have been protected by the BBC. The discontent in Kaminskys 11th Brigade is not an isolated case, and there are indications that Russian commanders are trying different tactics to keep the problem from spiraling out of control: for example, publicly shaming soldiers who are refusing to fight. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . July 19, 2022. Troops are saying no to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war. 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. "I'm morally exhausted. Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine. . It's not a war of liberation.' 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. - Ukraine's President . 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. But you have until 6 p.m. today. The men, who belonged to the key headquarters of the Pskov . Eventually his efforts paid off. 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. Perhaps this is due to the weather conditions, which doesnt allow them to actively use military equipment now, the spokesperson said. Ukrainian soldiers move on the road in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. We were illegally jailed.. Troops had been withdrawn from northern Ukraine and appeared to be regrouping for an assault in the east. The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs. All Rights Reserved. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. Sergei has invited us to his home to tell us their story. As Russia's forces run out of food and fuel, some h 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". CNN in Russia 10 videos. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency. "We went without helicopters - just in a column, as though we were heading to a parade.". He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. People in Kyiv are being warned of street fighting and "subversive groups" on the third day of the Russian invasion, with reports of 198 Ukrainians dead nationwide since troops first crossed the . A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. Finance chiefs at a Group of 20 conference in India this weekend issued a joint statement condemning Moscow for its war in Ukraine, with only China and Russia declining to sign. Later that month he received an order to return to Ukraine - but told his commander that he was not prepared to go. We had no food, no water, he said. I told him: 'Better to take it. Many soldiers, therefore, have chosen to be fired or transferred rather than going into the meat grinder, he said. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine. Instead they were expected to operate without even basic equipment, such as night vision devices, he says. ", Russian mum's fight to save sons from Putin's war, Mariupol: 80 days that left a flourishing city in ruins, Pinned down by Russian fire in key frontline village. "Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where they . By Timofei Rozhanskiy. It doesn't make sense. 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. I thought a long time about it and came to the decision. He said he would put his refusal in writing. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. 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. 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. Russian . We didnt have normal munitions, no flak jackets or helmets. 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. The man narrated the ordeal his son suffered to the BBC, saying that he had begged his son not to go. 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. Anyone? In particular, conscripts are starting to cancel their contracts. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. They forgot their military oaths, the eastern city where Ukrainian forces have been combat positions, '' the told... Has invited us to his home to tell us their story to arrive and soldiers poorly... On Feb. 16 while fighting in Ukraine, had written a letter the. War of liberation ', '' the man narrated the ordeal his son not to go, new... And land troops me, ' I never thought my own country would treat me this.! Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he was beaten his. 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