Mobilized Russians still refuse to follow orders: “This is all that remains of my unit. It’s complete bullshit” | War Ukraine and Russia

Video messages from dissatisfied mobilized Russians have become almost daily fare. Just last week, a unit from Irkutsk begged President Putin for help as they were led to slaughter by commanders and suffered massive casualties. However, the new images go one step further.

The commander of the unit that made the new video does not address Putin, but flatly says that he refuses to follow orders. He tells how he and his men come from Belgorod and were requisitioned to defend the region around the Russian city (on the border with Ukraine). Suddenly, however, they were sent to the self-declared pro-Russian People’s Republic of Donetsk, “without orders or an explanation”.

On the spot, their identity papers and documents were taken “by God knows who: half civilians, half military” (local pro-Russian militia). Although they are a defensive unit, they were immediately ordered to attack villages “without having received any training, reconnaissance, communications, maps or a fixed position”. “It’s complete bullshit”, it sounds bluntly.

According to the commander, it took less than three days before his men began to die. “This is all that remains of my unit, my entire unit,” he says despairingly. He also indicates that his men would like to continue fighting, but only under the command of the Russian army and not that of the local militia.

Russian authorities quickly intervened and denied that the soldiers in question had been mobilized: they were said to be volunteers. They say they also tried to reassure the families, it sounds on Fonar TV.

The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said via Telegram that he was in contact with the families and also sent a representative to the troops in the Donbas. He did admit that the men were called up during the partial mobilization. They would have received military training in Kursk. He said he also contacted the Ministry of Defense.