This is one of many reported incidents where Russian soldiers have been accused of refusing to take up arms in Ukraine. 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. 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. "He said it was my choice. Separately, a military tribunal said it sentenced Kandarov to five years behind bars for evading military service during mobilisation for more than a month. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. "The commanders' aim is to keep the soldiers down there. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. Reinforcements failed to arrive and soldiers were poorly equipped for the task of taking a large city. The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a . The latest as of 7.15 a.m. 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. On 15 February, Ukraines Defence Intelligence reported that Russias losses were the largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. When his son was sent to fight in Ukraine, Sergei begged him not to go. They said no remains had been found. As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. "He said the [Russian] soldiers had been given no cover; there was no intelligence gathering; no preparation. Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. A group of desperate Russian soldiers have issued an open letter by way of video to despotic President Vladimir Putin. Jan 27, 2023. "We do not have any camps or incarceration facilities, or the like [for Russian soldiers]," President Putin insisted earlier this month. Russian paratroopers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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.". It's absurd. Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. Argument | Michael Walzer. 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. 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. I have served for five years in the army. ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. 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. This is not our war. 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. 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. Quote from the General Staff: "Troops from the so-called . 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. 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. 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. But then someone said they'd take my son to work in the storeroom. The bosses response was: We dont care about your problems, go ahead and quit. Before joining Current Times Moscow bureau in 2019, Rozhanskiy worked for the independent Russian television channel TV Rain. Law enforcement located the man, Marsel Kandarov, in September, the statement added. Three days of duty? ET. Honestly, we had to supply ourselves with food. Produced by Will Vernon. Ukraine's Operational Command South reported in a . Source: cnnespanol All news articles on 2023-02-28 You may like. The commanders know only violence and intimidation. He told me his face was covered in blood," the father said while speaking to the outlet. 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. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. All his bravado has gone. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . 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. Ilya Kononov, a contract soldier from the city of Pskov in western Russia, was charged with "unauthorized . 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. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on the conflictin Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin touts success, yet some ofhis soldiers refuse to fight. I understand everything, of course. In all, 78 soldiers including Kaminsky openly challenged his orders, and demanded to be either sent home or reassigned, he said. July 19, 2022. The attack is doubly unjust. ", "My first thoughts were 'Is this really happening to me?'". About 140 Russian soldiers have reportedly been jailed so far. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. Almost all his comrades were under the age of 25. Discovery Company. The man narrated the ordeal his son suffered to the BBC, saying that he had begged his son not to go. Read about our approach to external linking. Command post guard duty? VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. In Kononov's case, court documents say that he pleaded guilty to evading military service and that he testified he wanted to take a temporary break from fighting in Ukraine. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Feb. 27 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. It is unfair, I am fighting in this war just as the others in Ukraine, risking my life, the soldier said. Im warning you, this is a final offer, he is heard telling the soldiers. Our commanders didnt even argue with us because we were not the first ones to leave, Bokov said. Homesick. 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. It said that the troops lacked support, while personnel in advanced positions didn't have water. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) A U.S. Army veteran from Wisconsin died on Feb. 16 while fighting on the . 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 . Read about our approach to external linking. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. But they eventually calmed down because there wasnt much they could do, he said. The Russian defense ministry didnt respond to the Guardians request for comment. Troops are saying no to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war. They didn't even [try to] dissuade us, because we weren't the first," Sergey told the BBC. In another incident, Sergey says he had to overtake comrades trapped inside a burning vehicle in front of him. Russian rights activists say hundreds, possibly thousands of troops are balking at orders to deploy, to keep fighting, or to remain on the battlefield without rotating out or home. Without a formal . 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. Russians across the country rallied against the orderbut police have attempted to disperse anti-war protests as they detained hundreds, including some children. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russia's . 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. 'I Had To Refuse So I Could Stay Alive' The troops are getting exhausted they wont be able to keep this up for a long period.. 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 Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of the invasion from its . Because there are no criminal articles for requesting the termination of a contract based on anti-war beliefs, Krivenko told Current Time. 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. The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a special . Ukrainian . Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine. Despite speculation beforehand, Putin did not formally declare war on Ukraine during his Victory Day speech on 9 May. In particular, conscripts are starting to cancel their contracts. Russian authorities quietly stepped up their efforts to recruit new soldiers as it became clear that a quick victory in Ukraine was unattainable. 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. Sergey joined the army as a conscript - most Russian men between the ages of 18-27 must complete one year of compulsory military service. Independent Russian media have also been reporting hundreds of cases of soldiers refusing repeat deployments to Ukraine since the beginning of April. Emilio Morenatti. There was no basic hygiene, the soldier said in the testimony, according to the Guardian. I told him that he was a zombie. 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. Never mind the myriad reports of Russian troops refusing to fight by the thousands, sabotaging their own shoddy equipment and even deliberately wounding themselves to abandon the war, Russian . 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. As Russia has faced a surprisingly effective resistance from Ukraine, there have been reports of low soldier morale and chaos among the commanding ranks. They just don't care. 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. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin promised that only professional soldiers would take part in his "special military operation.". Sergei and Stas are not the real names of this father and son. A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was . Soldiers are refusing to fire artillery on civilians until they clear the area. 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. 2d ago. 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. Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. What's he waiting for? Boris Johnson's cabinet received an update from a senior national security official on Tuesday morning. Anybody want it? the commander, a lieutenant colonel identified only by his surname Agafonov, can be heard telling the soldiers. The soldier, identified by the alias Vladimir, testified he was held in the town of Bryansk with about 80 soldiers guarded by the shadowy organization Wagner Group. Then I got a text message saying he and four other officers had been put in a basement. Troops had been withdrawn from northern Ukraine and appeared to be regrouping for an assault in the east. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Rumours abound of some Russian soldiers defying orders and refusing to cross into Ukraine to fight. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. He is now home in Russia, having taken legal advice to avoid being sent back to the front line. But from our own 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.. This is not our war. 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. Not from the opposing side. I didn't look back.". 02:32. "It's a way of making people go back into that bloodbath," says Elena Popova from Russia's Movement of Conscientious Objectors. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. Russians might be in favour of the conflict, but they dont actually want to fight, he said, adding that a general mobilisation would entail colossal losses of untrained soldiers. A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. He refused. The prisoners at the penal colony in St. Petersburg were expecting a visit by officials, thinking it would be some sort of inspection. ", 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. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". If no ones willing to take the offers from the brigade commanders, I wont detain you. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. I told him: 'Better to take it. His unit moved on through the Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says. Initially he "believed it was right" despite his dad trying to convince him not to go to war, the BBC report said. But, he had been sufficiently worried about his unit's reaction to his refusal that he decided to seek legal advice. TASS said the soldier expressed his dissatisfaction with the training of mobilised servicemen outside Moscow. It's not just Ukrainians resisting Vladimir . 03:25. 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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. 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. . A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. 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 . Read also: UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar. 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. But by September that had all changed. 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. He said he would put his refusal in writing. By early July, Kaminsky said, he'd had enough: He refused to fight, one of 78 soldiers from his brigade who have refused orders. Later that month he received an order to return to Ukraine - but told his commander that he was not prepared to go. AP. Many of the units that are supposed to train conscripts are fighting themselves, Lee said. He bombarded military officials, prosecutors and investigators with appeals for help. Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. , Rozhanskiy worked for the independent Russian television channel TV Rain, told... 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