<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/30/russian-army-chiefs-torturing-and-executing-soldiers-who-refuse-to-fight-in-ukraine-report-says>
"Russian commanders are executing or deliberately sending to their deaths
soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine, according to a new investigation by
the independent outlet Verstka, which paints a bleak picture of internal
violence within the Russian army.
Drawing on testimonies from serving soldiers, relatives of the dead, leaked
videos and official complaint records,
Verstka said it had identified 101
Russian servicemen accused of murdering, torturing or fatally punishing their
own comrades. The outlet said it had verified at least 150 deaths, though they
said they believed the true tally to be far higher.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports of soldiers
being killed by their own side and of so-called blocking units deployed to
prevent retreats have circulated widely.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected allegations of indiscipline among Russian
troops, insisting that such problems are instead rife within the Ukrainian
army.
But
Verstka’s report appears to be the most comprehensive to date,
documenting a detailed catalogue of methods used to enforce obedience and
terror within the ranks.
Verstka cited testimonies from soldiers who said commanders had appointed
“execution shooters” to open fire on refusers and later dump their bodies in
rivers or shallow graves, registering them as killed in action.
Other accounts describe commanders using drones and explosives to “finish off”
wounded or retreating soldiers. In several cases, officers allegedly ordered
drone operators to drop grenades on their own men, disguising the killings as
battlefield strikes.
Verstka, an award-winning independent Russian news outlet now operating in
exile and founded by some of the country’s most respected investigative
journalists, also documented cases of soldiers being tortured to death."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
