Soldiers say “no” to their officers, knowing that they will not be punished because Russia is not technically at war.
When the soldiers of the elite Russian brigade were ordered in early April preparing for the second shipment to Ukraine, they were overwhelmed with fear . Before the war, the unit was based in the Russian Far East. At the beginning of the invasion, his fighters went on the offensive from Belarus to the territory of Ukraine, where they were met with strong resistance from the Ukrainian army.
“It quickly became clear that not everyone agreed with that. Many of us just didn't want to go back. I wanted to return home to my family and not in a coffin, “a Russian soldier named Dmitry told The Guardian. He asked British journalists to change his name.
Along with eight other soldiers, Dmitry told the command that he refused to take part in the invasion.
“It made them angry. But in the end, they calmed down because there was really nothing they could do, “he said.
He was soon transferred to Belgorod, a city near the Ukrainian border, where he continues to serve after his refusal.
“I have been in the army for 5 years. My contract expires in June. I'll serve the rest of the time, and then I'll get out of here. I have nothing to be ashamed of. We are not officially at war. So no one can force me to go there, “Dmitry explained.
The Guardian writes that the case of a Russian soldier illustrates the problems faced by the Russian army due to the Kremlin's political decision not to formally declare war on Ukraine. Instead, Moscow calls the three-month invasion a “special operation.” Under Russian military law, soldiers who refuse to fight against Ukraine can be released. But they can't be tried for that, – says lawyer Mikhail Benyash. He advises the Russian military, which refuses to go to war. According to the lawyer, “hundreds and hundreds” of soldiers turn to him for advice on how to avoid being sent to the battlefield. Among them are 12 Russian National Guard soldiers from Krasnodar, who were released when they refused to be sent to Ukrainian territory.
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He added that many Russian soldiers are choosing a scenario in which they will be released or transferred to another unit instead of going to the meat grinder. The same choice was made by 23-year-old Russian soldier Sergei Bokov. In April, he decided to withdraw from the army after participating in the war against Ukraine.
“Our commanders did not even argue with us, because we were not the first to want to resign,” Bokov said.
Benyash says that under Russian law, it will be harder for soldiers to refuse to go to war if Russia openly calls the war a “war.”
In wartime, the rules are completely different. Refusal in this case will involve more severe punishment. The soldiers will be threatened with imprisonment, “the lawyer explained.
It is unknown exactly how many Russian servicemen refused to fight against Ukraine. But such stories illustrate a problem that, according to military experts and Western governments, has become one of the main obstacles to Russia's success in Ukraine. Russia is in dire need of infantry. In February, Moscow sent 80% of its ground forces to the war – 150,000 soldiers. But the Russian military has suffered heavy losses due to logistics problems, low morale and an underestimation of Ukraine's resistance.
“Putin will have to decide on mobilization in the coming weeks. Russia does not have enough ground units made up of contract soldiers to be able to carry out stable rotations. Troops are depleted. They won't last long, “said military analyst Rob Lee.
According to him, one of the options for the Kremlin is to allow conscripts to go to war despite Putin's promises not to do so.
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“Conscripts may fill in the gaps, but they have very little training. Many units that have to train conscripts are already at war, “Lee explained.
However, in his opinion, without battalions formed of conscripts, Russia will soon lose the ability to control those territories of Ukraine that it has already captured. Especially since the Armed Forces began to receive the best military equipment from NATO countries. Russian authorities are secretly trying to recruit new soldiers, as it has become clear that there will be no quick victory in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry places ads on job search sites, offering people without any combat experience short contracts with a high level of payment. Some large state-owned companies have received letters demanding that they send their employees to the army. Russia is also using mercenaries through the Kremlin-linked Wagner group. But analysts say volunteers and mercenaries are unlikely to add as many new troops as full-scale mobilization.
There has been talk that Putin will formally declare war on Ukraine during a speech on May 9. But this did not happen. Andrei Kalesnikov, an expert at the Carnegie Moscow Center, says the authorities do not want to declare mobilization for fear of turning a large part of the population against the war. “The Russians may support the conflict, but they themselves do not want to fight,” he explained. Large-scale mobilization will lead to “colossal losses among untrained soldiers.”
Read also: There are two reasons why Russia does not announce a general mobilization – Budanov
The current status quo allows Russian soldiers to legally refuse to be sent to Ukraine. However, some servicemen complain that due to the undeclared war, their commanders may also deny them adequate treatment. A sergeant in the Russian army was wounded during a Ukrainian attack on Russian territory near the border. His commander said he would not receive monetary compensation for the injuries, as required by Russian law. Because he was wounded on Russian territory, and therefore “did not take part in the special operation.”
“It's not fair, I'm taking part in this war just like the soldiers in Ukraine, I'm risking my life. If I am not paid compensation, I will start talking about it publicly and inflating the problem, “said the Russian sergeant.
See the special topic: Water is taken from rivers and wells. In the temporarily occupied territories, the Russian military continues to unjustifiably detain civilians – the General Staff There, the invaders also strengthened the counterintelligence regime. The Russian military is focusing its efforts on securing the withdrawal of its units from Kharkiv – the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine In the Kherson pre-trial detention center, the Russian military killed a prisoner and took four people prisoner The prosecutor's office is already conducting a pre-trial investigation. Russian war against Ukraine: map of hostilities as of May 13 Russian troops continue offensive operations in five directions in the east of our country.
