The URL has been copied to your clipboard. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . . 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. Sergey is just one of hundreds of Russian soldiers understood to have been seeking such advice. April 16, 2022 17:49 GMT. - Ukraine's President . There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. 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. Dmytrashkivskyi added the Russians had carried out 15 assaults over the past day, while the same number stood at 60 assaults per day a month ago. As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. 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. As Russia's forces run out of food and fuel, some h Russian . In January, Sergey was sent near the border with Ukraine for what he was told would be military drills. 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. Youre just a soldier for them; youre nobody.. Im supposed to be ready for any situation; this war, this special operation, one soldier wrote. The commanders know only violence and intimidation. ET. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust" in their higher command. Soldiers are refusing to fire artillery on civilians until they clear the area. If I dont get the compensation that I am entitled to soon, I will go public and make a major issue of it., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. In a rare public spat involving the Kremlin, 25 National Guard 'refuseniks' defied their . Instead, men in uniform arrived and offered them amnesty if they agreed to fight alongside the Russian army in . Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. "We were like blind kittens. It soon became clear that not everyone was onboard with it. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. 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. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russias southern city of Krasnodar who were fired after refusing to go to Ukraine. Some troops are refusing orders, walking away from military bases or crossing the border into Ukraine and switching sides, media reports show. 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. 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 servicemen were reportedly removed from their unit as punishment. That's what people who have come from there say.". The soldier is in the unit, hes not running away anywhere. 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 . That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. It is, first of all, a classic example of military aggression; it is a war without a just cause. (Reuters Photo) Russian soldiers fighting the war in Ukraine are in disarray and crying as they are asked to "fire at . Almost immediately his unit found itself under attack. 03:25. 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. 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. The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs. ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. 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. But they eventually calmed down because there wasnt much they could do, he said. We drove around it and on, firing as we went. At the beginning of April, Sergey was sent back over the border to a camp on the Russian side. Homesick. Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. 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. . The bosses response was: We dont care about your problems, go ahead and quit. '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. 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. If a soldier acts according to such procedures, then he cannot be criminally prosecuted for this. 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. Just refuse," Sergei recalls telling Stas, who was already an army officer. 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. 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.". News/Politics 2022-12-22T11:35:49.577Z. 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. But he stresses that Russian military law does include clauses which allow soldiers to refuse to fight if they don't want to. Not from the opposing side. I will serve my remaining time and then I am out of here, he said. Missing In Action: A Russian Soldier's Mother Desperately Seeks Answers, Vox Pop: Muscovites On How Russia's Isolation Affects Daily Life. But you have until 6 p.m. today. "You've got relatives there. He refused. 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 understand everything, of course. Approximately 60 paratroopers from Russia's Pskov region have refused to be deployed to Ukraine, newspaper Pskovskaya . This is not our war. 'I'm Warning You, This Is A Final Offer' Timofei Rozhanskiy is a correspondent in Kyiv for Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. Russian authorities quietly stepped up their efforts to recruit new soldiers as it became clear that a quick victory in Ukraine was unattainable. 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. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . Refusal then would mean much harsher penalties. 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. By Robert Coalson. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. "He said it was my choice. 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. We've changed them to protect their identities. The Insider. 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. 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