Read about our approach to external linking. A lawyer told Sergey and two like-minded colleagues to return their arms and go back to their unit's headquarters - where they should file a letter explaining that they were "morally and psychologically exhausted" and could not continue fighting in Ukraine. 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. 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.". But from our own side.". . Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. ", "We do not have any problems with soldiers leaving combat positions," the Kremlin leader continued. And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. 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. Images by Anton Chicherov. 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. 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. "Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where they . 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. There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. If we had moved gradually, if we had checked the roads for mines many losses could have been avoided.". By The Associated Press August 11, 2022. 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 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. 'I'm Warning You, This Is A Final Offer' Then I got a text message saying he and four other officers had been put in a basement. When his son was sent to fight in Ukraine, Sergei begged him not to go. "But he said he was going. Almost all his comrades were under the age of 25. For many Russian soldiers, the war in Ukraine is one they don't want to fight. He says his convoy - travelling through northern Ukraine - broke up after just four days when a bridge they were about to cross exploded, killing comrades ahead of them. "It was blown up from a grenade launcher or something else. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. But he stresses that Russian military law does include clauses which allow soldiers to refuse to fight if they don't want to. Within the dense smoke caused by the propaganda of one side or the other, the truth is that there does seem to be a good number of Russian soldiers who have refused to fight in Ukraine. All his bravado has gone. Russians across the country rallied against the orderbut police have attempted to disperse anti-war protests as they detained hundreds, including some children. We were illegally jailed.. 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. 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. A court in the Russian city of Ufa has sentenced a 24-year-old corporal to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust . 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. 'You're Nobody' 'I Had To Refuse So I Could Stay Alive' I signed a contract. 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. I told him: 'Better to take it. Sergei and Stas are not the real names of this father and son. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. Im warning you, this is a final offer, he is heard telling the soldiers. Because there are no criminal articles for requesting the termination of a contract based on anti-war beliefs, Krivenko told Current Time. Read about our approach to external linking. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . 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.". Eventually his efforts paid off. 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. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. It's not just Ukrainians resisting Vladimir . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. If a soldier acts according to such procedures, then he cannot be criminally prosecuted for this. 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 . They didn't even [try to] dissuade us, because we weren't the first," Sergey told the BBC. 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. 2d ago. The bosses response was: We dont care about your problems, go ahead and quit. 2. Ukrainian . A group of Russian soldiers are suing the army after they were fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine. 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 . 2023 Cable News Network. 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. In a rare public spat involving the Kremlin, 25 National Guard 'refuseniks' defied their . The code has been copied to your clipboard. He said he would put his refusal in writing. I have served for five years in the army. 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 I told him: 'Better to take it. July 19, 2022. Youre just a soldier for them; youre nobody.. But you have until 6 p.m. today. 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. In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. The young Russian was among those men who enlisted. 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. April 16, 2022 17:49 GMT. 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 . 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. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories . He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. While speaking, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing him away. ET. There was no basic hygiene, the soldier said in the testimony, according to the Guardian. "Then they took him into a room and told him: 'You're coming with us, otherwise we'll kill you.' Later that month he received an order to return to Ukraine - but told his commander that he was not prepared to go. Refusal then would mean much harsher penalties. The Russian authorities dismiss reports of disillusioned soldiers and detention centres as fake news. Without a formal . ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook. It wouldn't cost much to equip us. A junior sergeant said he was injured during one of the recent Ukrainian attacks on the Russian border territory where he was stationed. - Ukraine's President . "So off he went to Ukraine. The commanders know only violence and intimidation. It's not a war of liberation'," the man told the BBC. 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. But, he had been sufficiently worried about his unit's reaction to his refusal that he decided to seek legal advice. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russia's . "We do not have any camps or incarceration facilities, or the like [for Russian soldiers]," President Putin insisted earlier this month. In his conversations with Current Time, Kaminsky lamented what he described as commanders callous disregard for the wellbeing of their troops. Stas, an army officer, had written a letter to the . The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. But, after a few months, he made the decision to sign a two-year professional contract which would also give him a salary. I dont regret it one bit. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! "We went without helicopters - just in a column, as though we were heading to a parade.". VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. ", "My first thoughts were 'Is this really happening to me?'". That's what people who have come from there say.". Independent Russian media have also been reporting hundreds of cases of soldiers refusing repeat deployments to Ukraine since the beginning of April. Second, the conduct of the war by Russian forces violates the most . I understood that I had to refuse so I could stay alive, he said. A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. 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". Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! ET Saturday: A curfew in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has been extended from 5 pm until 8 am every day At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been . Homesick. 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. Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. He's changed completely. 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. But that means that - while his letter of refusal to fight was accepted - there are no guarantees he won't be sent back to Ukraine during his service period. "I'm morally exhausted. By Robert Coalson. Anyone? What's he waiting for? Argument | Michael Walzer. Troops are saying no to officers, knowing that punishment is light while Russia is not technically at war. 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. But I was thinking, Im still young; at any moment, a piece of shrapnel, a bullet could fly into my head. Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. The arrests of the soldiers, whose . 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. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has supported its eastern neighbour in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.Before the start of the offensive, Belarus allowed the Russian Armed Forces to perform weeks-long military drills on its territory; however, the Russian troops did not exit the country after they were supposed to finish. 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 . 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. ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. We didnt have normal munitions, no flak jackets or helmets. 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