TASS said the soldier expressed his dissatisfaction with the training of mobilised servicemen outside Moscow. Dmitris refusal to fight highlights some of the military difficulties the Russian army has faced as a result of the Kremlins political decision not to formally declare war on Ukraine preferring instead to describe the invasion, which will soon reach its fourth month, as a special military operation. Second, the conduct of the war by Russian forces violates the most . He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. The soldier, along with several others who decided not to take part in the fight anymore, put his refusal in writing. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . About 140 Russian soldiers have reportedly been jailed so far. But he stresses that Russian military law does include clauses which allow soldiers to refuse to fight if they don't want to. But from our own side.". ", "We do not have any problems with soldiers leaving combat positions," the Kremlin leader continued. "We went without helicopters - just in a column, as though we were heading to a parade.". Kaminsky said discontent had been building in the unit for weeks, if not months. Nearly five months into the largest war in Europe since World War II, a growing number of Russian soldiers like Kaminsky are refusing to fight, demanding to return home, or outright not going to Ukraine in the first place. They don't care about the life of a soldier; whats more important is his position and rank, Kaminsky said. "They are keeping people there because they wanted to leave, refused to fight," the father alleged. Initially he "believed it was right" despite his dad trying to convince him not to go to war, the BBC report said. What's he waiting for? 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 July, the father of a Russian soldier told The Insider that troops were being detained or moved to a detention center in the occupied Luhansk region if they attempted to leave their posts. Fewer and fewer Russian servicemen want to fight for the Kremlin's invading plans. At some point, Kaminsky's unit was then transferred to Luhansk, in Ukraines Donbas region. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. Back in his living room, Sergei tells me that what happened to Stas in Ukraine has brought them closer together. "I think that [so many of] our guys died largely because of this. Frank Gardner looks at what lies ahead as winter arrives in Ukraine. Theyre making everything so easy for you, guys. Rumours abound of some Russian soldiers defying orders and refusing to cross into Ukraine to fight. It soon became clear that not everyone was onboard with it. 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 . I want to return to my family and not in a casket.. AP. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. "The wall of misunderstanding between us has gone. 2. Hundreds of Russian soldiers have refused to fight or fled their posts since the war in Ukraine began, according to report published Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal. "I'm morally exhausted. We've changed them to protect their identities. The latest as of 7.15 a.m. The enemy has somewhat reduced its activity for the fourth day, he said. All asked that their names be withheld for fear of further punishment or retaliation by commanders. Because there are no criminal articles for requesting the termination of a contract based on anti-war beliefs, Krivenko told Current Time. 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. Deployed to Ukraine in July, Andrei was placed in detention for refusing to carry out orders. 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. April 7, 2022. The Ukrainian military on Friday reported significant fighting near Ivankiv, about 40 miles north west of Kyiv, as Russian forces apparently tried to advance on the capital from the north. A group of Russian soldiers are suing the army after they were fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine. Putin needs to make a decision regarding mobilisation in the coming weeks, said Rob Lee, a military analyst. 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. It doesn't make sense. Russian troops also lost territory in the southern Kherson region as well as the Lyman transport hub in eastern Ukraine. He refused so they beat him over the head several times with a pistol. Heavy street fighting against Russian troops was underway in Kyiv as officials urged locals to take immediate shelter. ", "People here don't understand how much danger we're in. If no ones willing to take the offers from the brigade commanders, I wont detain you. My son told me, 'I never thought my own country would treat me this way.' I told him: 'Better to take it. 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. It wouldn't cost much to equip us. Troops had been withdrawn from northern Ukraine and appeared to be regrouping for an assault in the east. 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. "But he said he was going. 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. "In these months [of compulsory military service] that I have left, anything - including the worst - could happen. Ilya Kononov, a contract soldier from the city of Pskov in western Russia, was charged with "unauthorized . This is not our war. 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. 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. 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. Then I started getting messages from him asking what would happen if he refused to fight.". The Russian authorities dismiss reports of disillusioned soldiers and detention centres as fake news. Eventually his efforts paid off. This story has been shared 102,045 times. Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. According to the head of his military commandant's office, Kononov was found at his place of residence with a friend after a search. In his unit of 50 people, 10 were killed and 10 others wounded. For some Russians, refusing to return to the front line may be a moral stand. Russian resistance is growing against Putin's war. But after a certain adaptation period, our men fight brilliantly.". Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russia's . They'd been ordered to advance, but no one knew what lay ahead. All Rights Reserved. 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. He's changed completely. "It was a difficult decision for him to take. Russia launched the attack on Ukraine from three sides on February 24. Many of us simply did not want to go back, said Dmitri, a member of the unit who asked not to be identified with his real name. While speaking, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing him away. Read about our approach to external linking. Read also: UK intelligence estimates Russian losses near Vuhledar. 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. 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. 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. Conscripts could fill some of the gaps, but they will be poorly trained. Once again, we have changed their names. But I was thinking, Im still young; at any moment, a piece of shrapnel, a bullet could fly into my head. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust" in their higher command. 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. 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.. He refused. A Russian soldier's service card was stamped "traitor" for refusing . And that, unfortunately, life would prove that.". Moscow's war is unjust, but there's no moral obligation for soldiers to refuse to fight. I understood that I had to refuse so I could stay alive, he said. We've received your submission. Andrei, a Russian lieutenant, stopped fighting. 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. A video of the incident that circulated online showed the soldier complaining of poor training, using obscenities, and calling the drills an imitation. By The Associated Press August 11, 2022. About 60 Russian paratroopers mutinied and refused to fight in Ukraine, according to Russian press reports related to Putin's government. Russian paratroopers. Such an action would be "premature" without having assessed the harm to the military service he was involved in, the prosecutor said. 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. If we had moved gradually, if we had checked the roads for mines many losses could have been avoided.". In another incident, Sergey says he had to overtake comrades trapped inside a burning vehicle in front of him. Some Russian soldiers and even whole units are "refusing to fight" in Ukraine, top UK security officials reported today. "They beat him and then they took him outside as if they were going to shoot him. We arent officially in a state of war, so they could not force me to go.. 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. ACI Prensa Staff, Feb 27, 2023 / 13:45 pm (CNA). Boris Johnson's cabinet received an update from a senior national security official on Tuesday morning. They made him lie on the ground and told him to count to ten. Some large government-run companies have received letters urging them to sign up their staff for the army. Ukrainian . "Some soldiers, under the . As Russia's forces run out of food and fuel, some h I have served for five years in the army. But his stand changed after the soldier found out he had been sent to fight with "no intelligence gathering, no preparation and no cover". April 16, 2022 17:49 GMT. But they eventually calmed down because there wasnt much they could do, he said. Russian state media aired footage of blitzed buildings and abandoned streets in Bakhmut , the eastern city where Ukrainian forces have been . Separately, a military tribunal in Moscow sentenced a soldier to five years and six months in a penal colony for beating an officer during an argument, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Sergey says he is traumatised by his experience in Ukraine. Im supposed to be ready for any situation; this war, this special operation, one soldier wrote. But there's a more common explanation. Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. ", Stas was a serving officer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. The BBC has been speaking to one such soldier. VLADIMIR Putin's demoralised and disillusioned troops are fleeing the war in Ukraine and surrendering without a fight, reports claim. 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