Conditions in Vladimir Putin’s (70) army would be catastrophic. Time and again there are reports of how bad it is for humble soldiers. Since the partial mobilization, conscript Russians have complained that they are not receiving proper training. Some would have just fired a pistol and would now go to the front. In addition, there is a lack of equipment. Weapons, ammunition, body armor.
In a video, young men complained about the conditions. Shortly after, most were dead, another unit met the same fate. Without any preparation, they were immediately sent into battle to stop the offensive in Ukraine. Instead of facing the hail of bullets, the soldiers fled, according to a report on the Russian telegram station Astra.
No wonder: they had previously lost several men in a skirmish near the city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine. Yet they were still ordered to continue. The Ukrainians would have surrounded them. Only with good luck did some survive and return to their base. Despite everything, their commander did not understand that the Ukrainians could not be stopped in this way. He gave the order, “Back to the front!”
Soldiers didn’t want to end up as “cannon fodder.”
When 27 soldiers resisted the order, their already poor equipment was confiscated. Then they locked her in the basement. They had to keep this up for ten days, a relative of the men explains in the report. Then they were given a choice. “Back to the front or ten years in prison under difficult circumstances.”
What that exactly means, the commander showed in a drastic way. They were put in an old, filthy prison. Still, the men refused to return to the front. Everything is better than death. The relatives of the prisoners are stunned by the behavior of the Russian commanders. They would have sent their soldiers to their deaths and abandoned them. Just because they don’t want to end up as “cannon fodder” would they now be locked up like animals.
The September mobilization in Russia sparked a series of protests in the country. Tens of thousands of military-aged men fled conscription abroad, mainly to neighboring countries. Kazakhstan reported more than 200,000 arrivals from Russia within two weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 44, had accused Russia of sending reservists to Ukraine as “cannon fodder” for its partial mobilization. (yeah)