Id rather bury you on the front line, on the line of defense, than give up my position, he said, describing the sentiments of his commanders. A Russian official this week responded to the Biden administration's refusal to rule out sending depleted uranium anti-tank munitions to Ukraine by warning that deployment of such weaponswhich have been linked to birth defects, miscarriages, and cancerwould be regarded by Moscow as use of "dirty nuclear bombs." According to . But by September that had all changed. Before joining Current Times Moscow bureau in 2019, Rozhanskiy worked for the independent Russian television channel TV Rain. Reinforcements failed to arrive and soldiers were poorly equipped for the task of taking a large city. Poland sent the German-made tanks to help Ukraine repel Russian troops and send a "clear and measurable signal of further support", said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who was visiting Kyiv . 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. "We were like blind kittens. About 60 Russian paratroopers mutinied and refused to fight in Ukraine, according to Russian press reports related to Putin's government. "He said it was my choice. He shares that soldiers in Crimea refused to be . But I was thinking, Im still young; at any moment, a piece of shrapnel, a bullet could fly into my head. 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. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. VLADIMIR Putin's demoralised and disillusioned troops are fleeing the war in Ukraine and surrendering without a fight, reports claim. The arrests of the soldiers, whose . 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. More than 26,000 Russian military personnel have been killed in . Command post guard duty? He gets it now. 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 Soldiers with the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps rioted, according to the operational command. It's not a war of liberation.' Reports from Russia said authorities would call up 300,000 people with "relevant" skills or military experience. Anybody want it? the commander, a lieutenant colonel identified only by his surname Agafonov, can be heard telling the soldiers. 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. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. The soldier is in the unit, hes not running away anywhere. 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. But then someone said they'd take my son to work in the storeroom. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. But significant damage has been done to that army, which has confronted logistical problems, poor morale and an underestimated Ukrainian resistance. 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. 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. Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. 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. During wartime, rules are totally different. All asked that their names be withheld for fear of further punishment or retaliation by commanders. Putin's army continues its full-scale aggression in Ukraine. Russians across the country rallied against the orderbut police have attempted to disperse anti-war protests as they detained hundreds, including some children. But after a certain adaptation period, our men fight brilliantly.". 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. 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. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. Ukrainians have been asked to avoid going near windows or on balconies and be . It wouldn't cost much to equip us. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russia's . 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. 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. 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. 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. Despite speculation beforehand, Putin did not formally declare war on Ukraine during his Victory Day speech on 9 May. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. TASS said the soldier expressed his dissatisfaction with the training of mobilised servicemen outside Moscow. July 20, 2022 16:08 GMT. Just refuse," Sergei recalls telling Stas, who was already an army officer. 2d ago. A stamp that was purportedly placed in the military-service booklet of one soldier who refused to serve in Ukraine. Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of the invasion from its . "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 . 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. Honestly, we had to supply ourselves with food. When his son was sent to fight in Ukraine, Sergei begged him not to go. By Robert Coalson. 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. We had no food, no water, he said. Perhaps this is due to the weather conditions, which doesnt allow them to actively use military equipment now, the spokesperson said. Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. "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. Conscripts could fill some of the gaps, but they will be poorly trained. AP. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. His unit moved on through the Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says. And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". He believes his commanders had planned to capture strongholds and key cities very quickly - and had calculated that the Ukrainians would simply surrender. 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. Ukrainian soldiers move on the road in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. That's what people who have come from there say.". 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. A group of desperate Russian soldiers have issued an open letter by way of video to despotic President Vladimir Putin. They were furious. 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. 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. A Russian soldier was sentenced in July for refusing to fight in the Ukraine war. "I had thought that we were the Russian army, the most super-duper in the world," says the young man bitterly. The soldier's testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the fight. 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 prisoners at the penal colony in St. Petersburg were expecting a visit by officials, thinking it would be some sort of inspection. There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. The BBC has been speaking to one such soldier. Of the 78 soldiers from Kaminskys unit who have disobeyed orders, some have been ordered held in a makeshift brig for days, he said. They would be looking at time in prison.. Many soldiers, therefore, have chosen to be fired or transferred rather than going into the meat grinder, he said. Their official status is missing in action. Such an action would be "premature" without having assessed the harm to the military service he was involved in, the prosecutor said. According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. 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. "In these months [of compulsory military service] that I have left, anything - including the worst - could happen. 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 . Russian paratroopers. I told him that he was a zombie. Ilya Kononov, a contract soldier from the city of Pskov in western Russia, was charged with "unauthorized . Sergey joined the army as a conscript - most Russian men between the ages of 18-27 must complete one year of compulsory military service. Read about our approach to external linking. By India Today Web Desk: As Russian troops try to take control over Ukraine's capital Kyiv, residents of the city are taking up arms to stand in the fight along with the country's military against Moscow's invasion.India Today's Rajesh Pawar visited an office of the Territorial Defence Forces in the city, where citizens are being equipped with weapons to defend against and fight off the . Emilio Morenatti. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. This story has been shared 102,045 times. 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. They were continually shelled, he says, both when moving and when parked overnight. To fight in Ukraine be some sort of inspection to return to the.! 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