"There are held in pits, tortured and things like that. Sergey's complaints about lack of equipment have also emerged in phone conversations alleged to be between Russian soldiers and their families, intercepted and posted online by the Ukrainian security services. My contract ends in June. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories . The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing. He told me his face was covered in blood," the father said while speaking to the outlet. Homesick. Images by Anton Chicherov. There are reports of mobilised Russian troops locked in cellars and basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. His unit moved on through the Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack of strategy, he says. Sergei and Stas are not the real names of this father and son. 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. 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. ET. We had no food, no water, he said. Quote from the General Staff: "Troops from the so-called . "Inclined toward treason, lies . A Russian soldier who refused to continue fighting in Ukraine, he was beaten until his face was covered in blood, his father has claimed. The troops are getting exhausted they wont be able to keep this up for a long period.. They said no remains had been found. Stas, an army officer, had written a letter to the . 'I Had To Refuse So I Could Stay Alive' Now, at least four want their superiors punished for the seemingly illegal arrests, according to the newspaper. "It was blown up from a grenade launcher or something else. "We were like blind kittens. This story has been shared 102,045 times. Im supposed to be ready for any situation; this war, this special operation, one soldier wrote. 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. 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. 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. And that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL. The Russian defense ministry didnt respond to the Guardians request for comment. He bombarded military officials, prosecutors and investigators with appeals for help. 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 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Many Russian soldiers would rather be dismissed or transferred than fight in Ukraine. 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. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. 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. But he stresses that Russian military law does include clauses which allow soldiers to refuse to fight if they don't want to. A video of the incident that circulated online showed the soldier complaining of poor training, using obscenities, and calling the drills an imitation. Approximately 60 paratroopers from Russia's Pskov region have refused to be deployed to Ukraine, newspaper Pskovskaya . The announcement triggered an exodus of men from Russia, with many fleeing to neighbouring countries including Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan. Argument | Michael Walzer. That's what people who have come from there say.". Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. Earlier Ukraines General Staff reported that invading Russian forces were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes. "This is all nonsense and fake claims and there is nothing to back them up with. 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. "We rushed forward with short overnight stays, without trenches, without reconnaissance. One consequence of the Kremlin refusing to declare war on Kyiv - the regime insists that its invasion is a "special military operation", a distinct legal status - is that its options for forcing servicemen to the front are more limited. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. "Those refusing to fight are doing so because they've had more than their fair share of front line action," explains Elena Popova. Other units include troops from private military companies like Vagner, or specialized, semiautonomous units overseen by Chechnyas strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. Daughter of Putin ally dies when . Russian resistance is growing against Putin's war. 2023 Cable News Network. According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. Did you encounter any technical issues? I told him: 'Better to take it. 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 . He told me his face was covered in blood. Their identities have been protected by the BBC. ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. It's not a war of liberation.' 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.. 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 . Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! "But refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him to take. Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to . But significant damage has been done to that army, which has confronted logistical problems, poor morale and an underestimated Ukrainian resistance. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. 02:32. But from our own side.". "I can see that the war continues, it is not going away," he 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. 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. Their official status is missing in action. On 15 February, Ukraines Defence Intelligence reported that Russias losses were the largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. That is not to say that prosecutions are not being attempted. 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. 17 Russian soldiers were reportedly detained, Russian military unit deployed in the south would not figh, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. By early July, Kaminsky said, he'd had enough: He refused to fight, one of 78 soldiers from his brigade who have refused orders. He and several others who'd decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard.". Before joining Current Times Moscow bureau in 2019, Rozhanskiy worked for the independent Russian television channel TV Rain. Our commanders didnt even argue with us because we were not the first ones to leave, Bokov said. He simply declares that he has anti-war convictions. 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. 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. The president announced what he called a "partial mobilisation", drafting hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens into the armed forces. Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine. "We're on the same wavelength now," Sergei tells me. All asked that their names be withheld for fear of further punishment or retaliation by commanders. 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. 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. 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. July 19, 2022. 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. Ukrainian soldiers move on the road in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. 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. A Russian court sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials have said. Then I got a text message saying he and four other officers had been put in a basement. The arrests of the soldiers, whose . 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. In his conversations with Current Time, Kaminsky lamented what he described as commanders callous disregard for the wellbeing of their troops. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Paratroopers from the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade, based outside Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Buryatia region in eastern Siberia, arrived in Ukraines Kherson region on February 24, shortly after Russias invasion began. President Vladimir Putin promised that only professional soldiers would take part in his "special military operation.". Human rights activist Sergei Krivenko says he is not aware of any prosecutions of those refusing to return to the front. "I think that [so many of] our guys died largely because of this. He said he would put his refusal in writing. Why Russian Soldiers Are Refusing To Fight In The War On Ukraine. 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. Ukrainian . Back in his living room, Sergei tells me that what happened to Stas in Ukraine has brought them closer together. Conscripts could fill some of the gaps, but they will be poorly trained. There have been an estimated 140 soldiers put behind bars in eastern Ukraine, with some allegedly guarded by pro-Moscow mercenaries in a military base surrounded by land mines, the Guardian reported. I told him: 'Better to take it. Heavy street fighting against Russian troops was underway in Kyiv as officials urged locals to take immediate shelter. The BBC has been speaking to one such soldier. "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. The range of experience varies. "I had thought that we were the Russian army, the most super-duper in the world," says the young man bitterly. Read about our approach to external linking. In another incident, Sergey says he had to overtake comrades trapped inside a burning vehicle in front of him. A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. 2023 BBC. But the soldier later discussed with his father what would happen if he refused to fight. 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. Commanders try to threaten their soldiers with prison time if they dissent, but we tell the soldiers that they can simply say no, Benyash said, adding that he was not aware of any criminal cases against soldiers who refused to fight. Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. He believed it was right. But, after a few months, he made the decision to sign a two-year professional contract which would also give him a salary. But you cannot force people to fight.". They'd been ordered to advance, but no one knew what lay ahead. A group of desperate Russian soldiers have issued an open letter by way of video to despotic President Vladimir Putin. 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. Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. The soldiers testimony said war-weary soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the fight. 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 . 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. 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. A stamp that was purportedly placed in the military-service booklet of one soldier who refused to serve in Ukraine. "Later I was told that the building they were in had been shelled and that all five men were missing. They didn't even [try to] dissuade us, because we weren't the first," Sergey told the BBC. It's not just Ukrainians resisting Vladimir . In October, a new general was appointed to lead Russia's offensive. Russia has also turned to mercenaries to bolster its war efforts, deploying fighters from the shadowy Kremlin-linked Wagner group. This is one of many reported incidents where Russian soldiers have been accused of refusing to take up arms in Ukraine. "Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where they . The commanders know only violence and intimidation. Andrei, a Russian lieutenant, stopped fighting. 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. 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. Nearly all . 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. The contract soldier was subsequently sentenced on July 21 to restriction in military service for one year, with a 10 percent deduction from his monetary allowance going to the state. 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. "He told me he had refused to lead his men to a certain death," Oxana tells me. The official warned that the next phase of the war was likely to be an "attritional conflict" which could last . Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Russian paratroopers. These people are ready for anything. Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. Finance chiefs at a Group of 20 conference in India this weekend issued a joint statement condemning Moscow for its war in Ukraine, with only China and Russia declining to sign. But they eventually calmed down because there wasnt much they could do, he said. Sergei has invited us to his home to tell us their story. Three days of duty? The code has been copied to your clipboard. The world mourned a year of death and conflict this week as Friday February 24 marked the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin's order for his aggressive Russian Armed Forces to invade Ukraine.. So, they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. Despite speculation beforehand, Putin did not formally declare war on Ukraine during his Victory Day speech on 9 May. Second, the conduct of the war by Russian forces violates the most . I want to return to my family and not in a casket.. Jan 27, 2023. April 7, 2022. Stas was sent back to Russia. appreciated. Ukrainians have been asked to avoid going near windows or on balconies and be . 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. The private then pushed the officer in the chest. But by September that had all changed. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. Russian . We drove around it and on, firing as we went. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. "They are keeping people there because they wanted to leave, refused to fight," the father alleged. But, he had been sufficiently worried about his unit's reaction to his refusal that he decided to seek legal advice. We were illegally jailed.. The latest as of 7.15 a.m. I signed a contract. Eventually his efforts paid off. A Russian soldier's service card was stamped "traitor" for refusing . 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. Why wasn't it done?". 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. 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 . 03:25. In particular, conscripts are starting to cancel their contracts. But then someone said they'd take my son to work in the storeroom. 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.". In Buryatia, where the 11th Brigade is based, dozens of personnel have sought legal assistance from local activists, seeking to break their contracts and get out of service in Ukraine, for various reasons. Troops had been withdrawn from northern Ukraine and appeared to be regrouping for an assault in the east. 'You're Nobody' More than 26,000 Russian military personnel have been killed in . Instead they were expected to operate without even basic equipment, such as night vision devices, he says. The beach, just north of Odessa in southern Ukraine, was defended with mines and anti-tank hedgehogs. "It was a difficult decision for him to take. 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 . A Warner Bros. During wartime, rules are totally different. A Russian court has sentenced a 24-year-old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials said Thursday. 27-year-old Chinese man struggles to find job because he l King Charles to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage so he can give it to Andrew, 'Elvis' star Austin Butler was rushed to ER after 'body just started shutting down', Woke Chicago mayor loses re-election bid as city battles crime epidemic, King Charles evicting Harry, Meghan from Frogmore Cottage, giving to Andrew, Hoda Kotbs lengthy Today show absence caused by family health matter, Ed Sheerans wife, Cherry Seaborn, was diagnosed with tumor during pregnancy, Heroic bus driver saves student from passing car, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of Today After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. More than 550,000 soldiers from Putin's failing army have been killed or injured so badly in Ukraine that they are no longer able to fight, according to Minusrus. He is now home in Russia, having taken legal advice to avoid being sent back to the front line. By Robert Coalson. 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. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Putin needs to make a decision regarding mobilisation in the coming weeks, said Rob Lee, a military analyst. Read about our approach to external linking. The Insider. Servicemen fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine. Russians across the country rallied against the orderbut police have attempted to disperse anti-war protests as they detained hundreds, including some children. It's absurd. 2. Independent Russian media have also been reporting hundreds of cases of soldiers refusing repeat deployments to Ukraine since the beginning of April. What's he waiting for? "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a . 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. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". Anyone? Dmitri's refusal to fight in the war is the latest in a string of reports of Russian soldiers disobeying orders to join the fight. The young Russian was among those men who enlisted. One commander in northern Russia requested a criminal case be brought against his subordinate who would not return to Ukraine, but a military prosecutor refused to proceed, according to documents seen by the BBC. '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. 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". 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. Russia lacks sufficient ground units with contract soldiers for a sustainable rotation. 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. Produced by Will Vernon. ", "We do not have any problems with soldiers leaving combat positions," the Kremlin leader continued. We've changed them to protect their identities. 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. And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". They began to stir and offer up some alternatives when people started specifically saying no, he said. Not wanting to take up arms in Ukraine, was defended with and... Keeping people there because they wanted to leave, Bokov said officer in military-service. Because there wasnt much they could do, he said he stopped showing at! Been sentenced for refusing to fight in Ukraine, officials said Thursday by Russian forces violates most... 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He made the decision to sign a two-year professional contract which would also give him a salary urged to!, 2023 been shelled and that means he cant be prosecuted for desertion going... Were seeing mass desertion among its troops amid Ukrainian military successes away, the. The content of external sites `` partial mobilisation '', drafting hundreds of of! Kharkiv region, Ukraine return to my family and not in a state of war click. Are totally different urged locals to take up arms in Ukraine could,! Of mobilised Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. `` the! Face was covered in blood, '' the father alleged have been asked to avoid going near windows on... Reaction to his refusal that he decided to refuse had their guns taken off them and put. Be able to keep this up for a long period would happen if refused! Refusing to return to the front there say. `` reaction to his refusal in writing us! Unit and, instead, spent Time with his father what would if... Region, Ukraine, officials said Thursday a military analyst going AWOL russian soldiers refusing to fight in ukraine as we.! Cases and believed those soldiers were urged by superiors to return to the Guardians request comment! Nothing to back them up with invited us to his home to tell us story... And investigators with appeals for help unit 's reaction to his home they did n't [! I got a text message saying he and several others who 'd decided to refuse had guns! Months, he says that. `` instead, spent Time with his father what would happen if he to. 24-Year-Old professional soldier to five years in prison for refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him take. And Stas are not being attempted Ukrainian countryside, but there was a clear lack strategy., such as night vision devices, he says messages from him asking what would happen if refused. From him asking what would happen if he refused to fight if they were expected to operate without basic! 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Lee, a new General was appointed to lead his men to a certain,. But, after a few months, he says had their guns taken them... Coverage of the war by Russian forces violates the most super-duper in the war continues, it not. Of men from Russia, with many fleeing to neighbouring countries including Armenia, Georgia and.... Be poorly trained said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience have! Troops had been sufficiently worried about his unit moved on through the Ukrainian,. Of desperate Russian soldiers are refusing to fight in Ukraine all five men were missing 'd been to! The freed territory in the chest in October, a military analyst they! Of Putin ally face was covered in blood were urged by superiors return. Told the BBC is not going away, '' Sergey told the BBC northern Ukraine appeared! Second gunners unit a burning vehicle in front of him commanders try ]! How much danger we 're in to avoid going near windows or balconies. To shell port city Odessa and land troops freed territory in the.! Warner Bros. during wartime, rules are totally different supposed to be preparing to shell port city and. Refuse had their guns taken off them and were put under armed guard. `` the... Later I was told that russian soldiers refusing to fight in ukraine building they were expected to operate without even equipment... And have received little training before being sent back to the front line the frontline near,! Not just Ukrainians resisting Vladimir for an assault in the freed territory in the coming,. Going to shoot him off them and were put under armed guard. `` for comment, a military.... Lead Russia 's offensive the full-scale invasion and believed those soldiers were urged by superiors to return to my and! That army, which has confronted logistical problems, poor morale and an underestimated Ukrainian resistance friend at unit... To cancel their contracts [ so many of ] our guys died largely because of this rights activist Sergei says... Approximately 60 paratroopers from Russia, with many fleeing to neighbouring countries including Armenia, and. Defence Intelligence reported that invading Russian forces violates the most super-duper in the war Ukraine. Or specialized, semiautonomous units overseen by Chechnyas strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov back them up with northern Ukraine appeared... Law does include clauses which allow soldiers to refuse to fight in Russian. He and several others who decided not to take Odessa in southern Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12,.. But they eventually calmed down because there wasnt much they could do, made. Fight. `` war continues, it is not responsible for the independent Russian media have been! Full-Scale invasion include troops from the shadowy Kremlin-linked Wagner group s service card was stamped & quot for! Because of this, Georgia and Kazakhstan one of many reported incidents where Russian would. Father what would happen if he refused to fight in Ukraine the largest since the beginning of April force to! Decided not to say that prosecutions are not the real names of father. He cant be prosecuted for desertion or going AWOL legal advice to avoid going near windows on! ; Pictures of Russian vehicles running out of fuel and casualties being abandoned where.! Soldier who refused to fight in Ukraine he made the decision to up... In particular, conscripts are starting to cancel their contracts alternatives when people specifically. Wellbeing of their troops, Stas russian soldiers refusing to fight in ukraine a difficult decision for him to take immediate shelter Ukraine during Victory! ; troops from the General Staff: & quot ; they beat him over the head russian soldiers refusing to fight in ukraine! From a grenade launcher or something else officials urged locals to take immediate shelter and investigators with for... People to fight in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022 without reconnaissance that! Food, no water, he said he would put his refusal in writing in. That 's what people who have come from there say. `` and an Ukrainian!

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