Russian reservists criticize Putin: “He does not enter into dialogue with us” Xi Jinping strengthens his power: close confidants promoted to government

In a new video call, Russian reservists in the eastern Ukraine war zone have complained about abuses in the troops and enlisted the help of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Putin must ensure that the commanders do their job, a hooded spokesman said in the video message that was recorded and distributed on the Telegram news channel on Saturday.

The video shows a total of a dozen uniformed men – also without recognizable faces. The group’s spokesperson complained about the commanders’ lack of equipment and lack of leadership.

“We know that we are not the only ones making such a request,” said the man “in the Donetsk region”. Putin should not deal with the situation on paper, but on the spot, he demands. Putin has not yet visited troops in the combat zone – unlike Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who made isolated visits to the front.

The Russian spokesman complained that there was a lack of equipment, including night vision goggles, to perform combat duties. Other combatants, wives, mothers and sisters of soldiers had also complained about abuses in public messages.

The commanders would simply ignore the presidential decree and deploy unprepared units in the stormtroopers, the man complained. They would be sent forward while the soldiers remained behind. “The leadership of our regiment does not enter into dialogue with us, intimidates us and threatens imprisonment if we refuse to fight and advance to the front line.” Due to a lack of reconnaissance support and a lack of communication with other units, reservists would die and be injured unnecessarily.

The man points out that the average age of the unit is 40 and many have health problems. There was no medical examination to begin with. “We do not refuse to fulfill the tasks of territorial defense. We refuse to take unjustified risks – machine guns against tanks, against mortars and snipers,” he said. According to him, the men had been drafted for the Sverdlovsk and Perm regions. (dpa/t online)