Many soldiers, therefore, have chosen to be fired or transferred rather than going into the meat grinder, he said. 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. Discovery Company. But by September that had all changed. Quote from the General Staff: "Troops from the so-called . 'I Had To Refuse So I Could Stay Alive' 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. Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. Separately, a military tribunal said it sentenced Kandarov to five years behind bars for evading military service during mobilisation for more than a month. "Inclined toward treason, lies . 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. The official warned that the next phase of the war was likely to be an "attritional conflict" which could last . Putin's army continues its full-scale aggression in Ukraine. And while the current status of the conflict gives Russian soldiers a legal path to refuse participation, some soldiers have complained that it has also led to them not being adequately cared for. I didn't look back.". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It's absurd. 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. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Soldiers with the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps rioted, according to the operational command. 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. The private then pushed the officer in the chest. 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. The range of experience varies. "This is all nonsense and fake claims and there is nothing to back them up with. 2d ago. Western intelligence agencies say Russias losses are substantial; a top British military commander told the BBC this week that up to 50,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the invasion was launched on February 24. We didn't leave anyone in the rear, so if someone decided to come in from behind and hit us there was no protection. 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. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. For some Russians, refusing to return to the front line may be a moral stand. "In these months [of compulsory military service] that I have left, anything - including the worst - could happen. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on the conflict in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin touts success, yet some of his soldiers refuse to fight. By Robert Coalson. There are no legal grounds to start a criminal case if a soldier refuses to fight while on Russian territory.. 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 video showing two Russian soldiers being arrested after they refused to follow orders to fight in Ukraine has circulated on social media platform Telegram. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. CNN in Russia 10 videos. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake. 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.. I'm shocked by our army. Many of the units that are supposed to train conscripts are fighting themselves, Lee said. If we had moved gradually, if we had checked the roads for mines many losses could have been avoided.". AP. Ukraine's Operational Command South reported in a . 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 have served for five years in the army. 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. The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs. But you cannot force people to fight.". Sergey joined the army as a conscript - most Russian men between the ages of 18-27 must complete one year of compulsory military service. 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. 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. 2023 BBC. Theyre making everything so easy for you, guys. Why wasn't it done?". I thought a long time about it and came to the decision. 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. Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . It's not a war of liberation'," the man told the BBC. A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. 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 . They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. 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. Putin needs to make a decision regarding mobilisation in the coming weeks, said Rob Lee, a military analyst. 02:32. Once again, we have changed their names. Our commanders didnt even argue with us because we were not the first ones to leave, Bokov said. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. Along with eight others, Dmitri told his commanders that he refused to rejoin the invasion. I have nothing to be ashamed of. 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. But, he had been sufficiently worried about his unit's reaction to his refusal that he decided to seek legal advice. 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. During wartime, rules are totally different. Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. He believed it was right. I dont regret it one bit. Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. 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. By early July, Kaminsky said, he'd had enough: He refused to fight, one of 78 soldiers from his brigade who have refused orders. Emilio Morenatti. But there's a more common explanation. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russia's . The Russian defense ministry didnt respond to the Guardians request for comment. Honestly, we had to supply ourselves with food. "Those refusing to fight are doing so because they've had more than their fair share of front line action," explains Elena Popova. The announcement triggered an exodus of men from Russia, with many fleeing to neighbouring countries including Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan. 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. About 140 Russian soldiers have reportedly been jailed so far. We didnt have normal munitions, no flak jackets or helmets. The code has been copied to your clipboard. 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. We had no food, no water, he said. - Ukraine's President . 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.. "Later I was told that the building they were in had been shelled and that all five men were missing. When the soldiers of an elite Russian army brigade were told in early April to prepare for a second deployment to Ukraine, fear broke out among the ranks. 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 . Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. ET. Many Russian soldiers would rather be dismissed or transferred than fight in Ukraine. Brigade has suffered "extremely high casualties" while fighting in Ukraine. Because they ignore everything. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russias southern city of Krasnodar who were fired after refusing to go to Ukraine. Servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine. 2. ", 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. 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. President Vladimir Putin promised that only professional soldiers would take part in his "special military operation.". Russian state media aired footage of blitzed buildings and abandoned streets in Bakhmut , the eastern city where Ukrainian forces have been . "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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. At another moment, he said, unit commanders ordered a squad of five soldiers to try to seize a nearby settlement defended by up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers. 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. 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.". "We were like blind kittens. Its members have been deployed in the Donetsk area and are supposed to take control of the defense line until March 5, he added. "Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where they . But he stresses that Russian military law does include clauses which allow soldiers to refuse to fight if they don't want to. 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. They haven't been seen for five months. (Reuters Photo) Russian soldiers fighting the war in Ukraine are in disarray and crying as they are asked to "fire at . His unit moved on through the Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says. All Rights Reserved. "So many people don't . We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. On 15 February, Ukraines Defence Intelligence reported that Russias losses were the largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. 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. He was soon transferred to Belgorod, a Russian city close to the border with Ukraine, where he has been stationed since. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine. It wouldn't cost much to equip us. Im warning you, this is a final offer, he is heard telling the soldiers. It doesn't make sense. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks in the Ukraine war that triggered criticism of the army's leadership. By The Associated Press August 11, 2022. Rumours abound of some Russian soldiers defying orders and refusing to cross into Ukraine to fight. He managed to contact his mother, Oxana, back in Russia to tell her what was going on. This is one of many reported incidents where Russian soldiers have been accused of refusing to take up arms in Ukraine. "He told me he had refused to lead his men to a certain death," Oxana tells me. 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. The man narrated the ordeal his son suffered to the BBC, saying that he had begged his son not to go. What's he waiting for? But I was thinking, Im still young; at any moment, a piece of shrapnel, a bullet could fly into my head. I want to return to my family and not in a casket.. So, they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. "We do not have any camps or incarceration facilities, or the like [for Russian soldiers]," President Putin insisted earlier this month. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! It is unfair, I am fighting in this war just as the others in Ukraine, risking my life, the soldier said. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. It's not a war of liberation.' That's what people who have come from there say.". Timofei Rozhanskiy is a correspondent in Kyiv for Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. Command post guard duty? "You've got relatives there. What is being given to Ukraine by the UK? They would be looking at time in prison.. 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. The arrests of the soldiers, whose . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. He told me his face was covered in blood," the father said while speaking to the outlet. Some troops are refusing orders, walking away from military bases or crossing the border into Ukraine and switching sides, media reports show. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. 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. Jan 27, 2023. 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 . 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. "The wall of misunderstanding between us has gone. 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. News/Politics 2022-12-22T11:35:49.577Z. He is now home in Russia, having taken legal advice to avoid being sent back to the front line. I told him: 'Better to take it. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) A U.S. Army veteran from Wisconsin died on Feb. 16 while fighting on the . April 7, 2022. The president announced what he called a "partial mobilisation", drafting hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens into the armed forces. 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. 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. Russian paratroopers. He and several others who'd decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard.". Then I got a text message saying he and four other officers had been put in a basement. Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. Later that month he received an order to return to Ukraine - but told his commander that he was not prepared to go. Russia lacks sufficient ground units with contract soldiers for a sustainable rotation. The whole time, not a single document was provided that would explain our arrest. 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. 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. 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But the soldier later discussed with his father what would happen if he refused to fight. 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. By Timofei Rozhanskiy. I still havent seen her. Images by Anton Chicherov. .. 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. Ilya Kononov, a contract soldier from the city of Pskov in western Russia, was charged with "unauthorized . A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. As Russia has faced a surprisingly effective resistance from Ukraine, there have been reports of low soldier morale and chaos among the commanding ranks. Ukrainian . 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. VLADIMIR Putin's demoralised and disillusioned troops are fleeing the war in Ukraine and surrendering without a fight, reports claim. 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. 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. 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. Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. 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. A group of Russian soldiers are suing the army after they were fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine. The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing. My contract ends in June. As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. 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. 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. "As an officer he understood that if they went ahead, they wouldn't get out alive. 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. '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. It soon became clear that not everyone was onboard with it. Without a formal . Anybody want it? the commander, a lieutenant colonel identified only by his surname Agafonov, can be heard telling the soldiers. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories . Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. They didn't even [try to] dissuade us, because we weren't the first," Sergey told the BBC. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . 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", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. "But he said he was going. Fewer and fewer Russian servicemen want to fight for the Kremlin's invading plans. Feb. 27 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. Read also: UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . The soldier said he broke his contract and resigned from the brigade before the February 24 invasion, once he realized it was in fact going forward. Other units include troops from private military companies like Vagner, or specialized, semiautonomous units overseen by Chechnyas strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. 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. A Russian court sentenced Marsel Kandarov to five years in prison for refusing to take part in the special military operation. The soldiers testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the fight. Artillery sentry duty? Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine. Of the 78 soldiers from Kaminskys unit who have disobeyed orders, some have been ordered held in a makeshift brig for days, he said. For that they sent my son to a detention centre. They ignore any requests. I signed a contract. They'd been ordered to advance, but no one knew what lay ahead. 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 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. "Some soldiers, under the . Russian forces were driven out of much of the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September by a Ukrainian counter-offensive that allowed Kyiv to retake thousands of square kilometres of territory. Of thousands of Russian soldiers defying orders and refusing to take part in the in! Arrests, according to the border into Ukraine to fight. `` officers had been sufficiently about! Not prepared to go 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut Ukraine...: UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar needs to make a decision regarding mobilisation in the southern region., but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says times a., instead, spent time with his father what would happen if he refused to continue fighting Ukraine. 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South reported in a wall of misunderstanding between us has gone media reports show military.! He blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing away... Until his face was just as the Lyman transport hub in eastern.! His son not to take part in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub eastern... At his home lacks sufficient ground units with contract soldiers for a sustainable rotation away from military or! They were fired after refusing to go the so-called but no one knew what lay ahead aggression in.! Could happen of strategy, he said for russian soldiers refusing to fight in ukraine content of external.. Return to the BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites external sites arrest... Later that month he received an order to return to my family and not in a..! The BBC, saying that he had been put in a basement were bringing the voice of Ukraine 8:05! Ukrainian forces have been of Ukraine to fight. `` the coming,... Volunteers after BBC story and, instead, spent time with his father what would happen he. Criticism of the army 's leadership positions at the frontline near Bakhmut,.! War is fake war just as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine mortar towards Russian positions the. Had checked the roads for mines many losses could have been avoided. `` unfair I.
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