In a letter to Oleg Kozhemyako (59), the governor of the Primorye region, the Russian soldiers of the 155th Marine Brigade complained about the condition of their unit. Apparently, the elite soldiers of General Rustam Muradov (49) and his compatriot Akhmedov were once again thrown into an “incomprehensible offensive” that was sold to them as “carefully planned”. In just four days, 300 soldiers of the brigade were killed, wounded and missing. 50 percent of the vehicles were destroyed.
The “Grey Zone” Telegram channel, which is said to have connections to the Wagner mercenary group, published the letter.
The soldiers explain the actions of their superiors with the sick zeal for glory. “Muradov promised Akhmedov the award of ‘Hero of Russia’,” the letter reads. In addition, Muradov received bonuses for such offensives from Valeri Wassiljewitsch Gerasimov (67), Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. As a result of the “carefully” planned offensive by the “great generals” at Pavliwka in the Donetsk region, the unit lost about 300 men and half of its technology. “And that’s just our brigade.”
“They call us meat”
The soldiers were apparently intended to advance further into the Donetsk region of southeastern Ukraine and capture Pavlivka. Between them and their target was a field where Ukrainian soldiers resided. Now “our people would be destroyed on the routes of the transport of the wounded and the supply of ammunition,” the soldiers write. The people would be called “meat” by the commanders.
The soldiers accuse Akhmedov of hiding the numbers and replacing them with official victims. “Fear of responsibility,” they write. They ask the governor to contact the commander in chief. This should send an independent commission that does not come from the Ministry of Defense – because there Muradov would be protected by Chief of Staff Gerasimov. The generals, the soldiers demand, “should be questioned without euphemism about the purpose of such actions, the execution and the results.”
Governor confirms loss figures – but “not nearly as high”
On Monday, the governor responded to the letter in a video message on his official Telegram channel. While he confirmed the 155th Brigade’s heavy fighting and casualties, they were “not nearly as high” as described in the soldiers’ letter on Sunday. He has been assured of that by the commanders at the front, he says. The military prosecutor’s office was called in to investigate the matter.
Denis Puschilin, appointed by the Russian occupier as head of the annexed Donetsk region, reported on fighting around Pavlivka on Wednesday. On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said 70 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and Ukrainian weapons destroyed in Russian attacks and artillery shelling in the Pavlivka area. The information could not be independently verified. (hei/SDA)