A junior sergeant said he was injured during one of the recent Ukrainian attacks on the Russian border territory where he was stationed. In another incident where Russian soldiers have been accused of refusing to fight in Ukraine, the country's Operational Command South said Sunday in a Facebook post that a Russian military unit deployed in the south would not fight because of a lack of vital supplies such as water. And there is no guarantee that more prosecutions might not emerge in the future. 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. Brigade commanders ask who wants to guard the second gunners unit. Their identities have been protected by the BBC. Im tired. Kononov said he stopped showing up at his unit and, instead, spent time with his friend at his home. The Insider. 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. The airline carrier Wizz Air has announced it will . 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. "I had thought that we were the Russian army, the most super-duper in the world," says the young man bitterly. Rumours abound of some Russian soldiers defying orders and refusing to cross into Ukraine to fight. "It was blown up from a grenade launcher or something else. "Those refusing to fight are doing so because they've had more than their fair share of front line action," explains Elena Popova. Also, according to Dmytrashkivskyi, the 136th Brigade, which was formed for the war in Chechnya, has arrived in the Vuhledar area. We were fed once a day at lunchtime. I thought a long time about it and came to the decision. Russian forces were driven out of much of the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September by a Ukrainian counter-offensive that allowed Kyiv to retake thousands of square kilometres of territory. 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. Albert Sakhibgareev was sent near the Ukrainian border in early February for "training exercises," the . Command post guard duty? The head of Britain's GCHQ spy service said on Wednesday that new intelligence showed some Russian soldiers in Ukraine had refused to carry out orders, sabotaged their own equipment and . Many of the newly mobilised troops were quick to complain that they were being sent to a war zone without sufficient equipment or adequate training. He said he himself had written some 20 complaints and demands for reassignment, but his superior officers had rejected them -- or even tore the papers up completely. "But refusing to fight was a difficult decision for him to take. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. The whole time, not a single document was provided that would explain our arrest. 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. 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. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook. While speaking, he blew cigarette smoke into an officers face, who responded by pushing him away. 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 . I still havent seen her. Among them were 12 national guardsmen from Russia's . The bosses response was: We dont care about your problems, go ahead and quit. In the southern Russian town of Budyonnovsk, on the home base for the 205th Cossack Motorized Rifle Brigade, commanders have erected a wall of shame with the names, ranks, and photographs of some 300 soldiers who have disobeyed orders in the Ukraine war. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "It's a way of making people go back into that bloodbath," says Elena Popova from Russia's Movement of Conscientious Objectors. 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. This is not our war. Russian troops release video as they say they will not fight. Critics have said many mobilised men hardly had any battlefield experience and have received little training before being sent to the front. 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. Before joining Current Times Moscow bureau in 2019, Rozhanskiy worked for the independent Russian television channel TV Rain. ACI Prensa Staff, Feb 27, 2023 / 13:45 pm (CNA). Several lawyers and human rights activists the BBC spoke to said they had been regularly offering advice to men trying to avoid returning to Ukraine. Army commanders try to intimidate contract soldiers into staying with their units, according to Russian human rights lawyer Alexei Tabalov. It wouldn't cost much to equip us. Lee said one option for the Kremlin would be to authorise the deployment of conscript units to Ukraine, despite Putins earlier pledges that Russia would not use any conscripts in the war. "Later I was told that the building they were in had been shelled and that all five men were missing. 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. "But he said he was going. What It Said, "If Manish Sisodia Joins BJP Today": Arvind Kejriwal Targets PM Modi, S Jaishankar's "Firm" Reply To UK Minister Who Raised BBC Tax Row: Sources, "Playing For Country": Gavaskar Blasts Gill For Calling Physio Mid-Over, Harry, Meghan Lose Home Gifted By Queen As Wedding Present: Report, Inside "World's Most Ultra-Luxury Resort", At $100,000 A Night, India, Sri Lanka To Increase 'Complexity' Of Bilateral Exercises: Ministry, Greta Thunberg Detained In Norway Wind Farm Protest, Drinking More Water Reduces Blood Sugar; Follow Tips To Increase Water Intake, "They Just Wanted To Stop Us": Arvind Kejriwal On Manish Sisodia Arrest, Sachin Tendulkar Posts Video of ''Ultimate Hide-And-Seek Champion'', This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Theyre making everything so easy for you, guys. Just refuse," Sergei recalls telling Stas, who was already an army officer. ET. 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. The soldier was a serving officer in the Russian army when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. "You've got relatives there. A Russian fleet was said to be preparing to shell port city Odessa and land troops. 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. 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. A Russian soldier's service card was stamped "traitor" for refusing . 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. We've changed them to protect their identities. He had helped oversee fighting in eastern Ukraine. If no ones willing to take the offers from the brigade commanders, I wont detain you. Homesick. At the beginning of April, Sergey was sent back over the border to a camp on the Russian side. 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. Ukraine's leader pledged Friday to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security. 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. Russian soldier Ilya Kaminsky says rank-and-file troops have "absolutely no trust . Feb. 27 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. But you have until 6 p.m. today. 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.". 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.. 03:25. Emilio Morenatti. I signed a contract. April 7, 2022. The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a . As of July 20, the fate of the detained soldiers was unknown. Russia blaming Ukraine for killing of daughter of Putin ally. Reports from Russia said authorities would call up 300,000 people with "relevant" skills or military experience. All asked that their names be withheld for fear of further punishment or retaliation by commanders. A Russian soldier has been sentenced for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine. Its members have been deployed in the Donetsk area and are supposed to take control of the defense line until March 5, he added. Each of our interviewees had dealt with dozens of cases and believed those soldiers were also sharing advice with their colleagues. ", "We do not have any problems with soldiers leaving combat positions," the Kremlin leader continued. By early July, Kaminsky said, he'd had enough: He refused to fight, one of 78 soldiers from his brigade who have refused orders. The soldier, "not wanting to take part in a special . 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. About 140 Russian soldiers have reportedly been jailed so far. They ignore any requests. The Insider. That's what people who have come from there say.". Russians across the country rallied against the orderbut police have attempted to disperse anti-war protests as they detained hundreds, including some children. The men, who belonged to the key headquarters of the Pskov . 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. 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. The private then pushed the officer in the chest. Then I got a text message saying he and four other officers had been put in a basement. Ukraine's Operational Command South reported in a . 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. Produced by Will Vernon. 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