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. Troops are saying no to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. The Insider. Many of the units that are supposed to train conscripts are fighting themselves, Lee said. In particular, conscripts are starting to cancel their contracts. While speaking, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing him away. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. 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. Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . 2023 BBC. 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 . The BBC has been speaking to one such soldier. Updated at 1:10 p.m. on April 14 to add that the soldier's lawyer has taken down the original photo of the service card. The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a special . 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. 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". The URL has been copied to your clipboard. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . 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. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. But I was thinking, Im still young; at any moment, a piece of shrapnel, a bullet could fly into my head. A Russian soldier's service card was stamped "traitor" for refusing . 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 . Refusal then would mean much harsher penalties. Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. This story has been shared 102,045 times. "We went without helicopters - just in a column, as though we were heading to a parade.". Read about our approach to external linking. Russia announced the mobilisation of 300,000 men in late September after suffering battlefield defeats at the hands of Ukrainian forces. 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. Conscripts could fill some of the gaps, but they will be poorly trained. 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 . Argument | Michael Walzer. 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. Jan 27, 2023. 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. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake. 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 . He shares that soldiers in Crimea refused to be . 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 . It's not a war of liberation.' "As an officer he understood that if they went ahead, they wouldn't get out alive. If we had moved gradually, if we had checked the roads for mines many losses could have been avoided.". The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of 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. He believed it was right. He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 'You're Nobody' They don't care about the life of a soldier; whats more important is his position and rank, Kaminsky said. Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Independent Russian media have also been reporting hundreds of cases of soldiers refusing repeat deployments to Ukraine since the beginning of April. "We rushed forward with short overnight stays, without trenches, without reconnaissance. Discovery Company. Russians across the country rallied against the orderbut police have attempted to disperse anti-war protests as they detained hundreds, including some children. Did you encounter any technical issues? Im tired. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. We've changed them to protect their identities. 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. "Another reason is the foul way they're being treated. 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. Just refuse," Sergei recalls telling Stas, who was already an army officer. They ignore any requests. AP. The way my son was treated wasn't only illegal, it was inhuman.". Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. I understand everything, of course. "Later I was told that the building they were in had been shelled and that all five men were missing. They said no remains had been found. Newsweek was unable to independently verify those claims but reached out to Russia's foreign ministry for comment. We were illegally jailed.. 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. 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. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. The enemy has somewhat reduced its activity for the fourth day, he said. 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. Russia lacks sufficient ground units with contract soldiers for a sustainable rotation. 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. As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. News/Politics 2022-12-22T11:35:49.577Z. Putin's army continues its full-scale aggression in Ukraine. Homesick. His unit moved on through the Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says. Unit commanders then staged an intervention. "But refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him to take. Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. 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, Russian invaders refusing to go on offensive in Vuhledar area en masse, Life Cover+ Multiple Benefits in one plan, Russia redeploys unit of brigade created for war against Chechen Republic of Ichkeria near Vuhledar, Bedraggled Troops Declare Glory to Russia in Saddest Video Ever, Ukrainian Forces Demobilize Russian Tanks Near Frontline Town. I have served for five years in the army. 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. The airline carrier Wizz Air has announced it will . The human rights activist said Kononov may be sent to serve in Ukraine again, explaining that the punishment means it will be even more difficult for him to achieve early dismissal. It caught fire and there were [Russian] soldiers inside. I have nothing to be ashamed of. DeSantis won't say he's running. "You've got relatives there. In a rare public spat involving the Kremlin, 25 National Guard 'refuseniks' defied their . Many of us simply did not want to go back, said Dmitri, a member of the unit who asked not to be identified with his real name. Read about our approach to external linking. (Reuters Photo) Russian soldiers fighting the war in Ukraine are in disarray and crying as they are asked to "fire at . In his unit of 50 people, 10 were killed and 10 others wounded. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Feb. 27 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. Artillery sentry duty? They didn't even [try to] dissuade us, because we weren't the first," Sergey told the BBC. April 7, 2022. VLADIMIR Putin's demoralised and disillusioned troops are fleeing the war in Ukraine and surrendering without a fight, reports claim. . Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. 1 min read. This is one of many reported incidents where Russian soldiers have been accused of refusing to take up arms in Ukraine. CNN in Russia 10 videos. Sergey was told that returning to the unit was important because simply leaving could be interpreted as desertion, which can result in a two-year sentence in a disciplinary battalion. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. 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. On 15 February, Ukraines Defence Intelligence reported that Russias losses were the largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much We didnt have normal munitions, no flak jackets or helmets. Later that month he received an order to return to Ukraine - but told his commander that he was not prepared to go. The soldiers testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the 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. I still havent seen her. I understood that I had to refuse so I could stay alive, he said. Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. They haven't been seen for five months. At the beginning of April, Sergey was sent back over the border to a camp on the Russian side. 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Brigade has suffered "extremely high casualties" while fighting in Ukraine. Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of the invasion from its . 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