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Business News/ News / World/  Russian soldiers suffering from low morale, left to ‘die for nothing’ in Ukraine
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Russian soldiers suffering from low morale, left to ‘die for nothing’ in Ukraine

Several Russian soldiers are complaining that they are used as ‘cannon fodder’ and the command doesn’t care if they die.

The bodies of 11 Russian soldiers lie on the ground in the village of Vilkhivka, recently retaken by Ukrainian forces near Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, May 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (AP)Premium
The bodies of 11 Russian soldiers lie on the ground in the village of Vilkhivka, recently retaken by Ukrainian forces near Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, May 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (AP)

Several videos have recently surfaced on social media showing complaints from Russian troops who were drafted for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. They claim they have not received adequate training and have been treated poorly. Many Russian soldiers are said to be suffering from low morale, especially after Putin announced a partial mobilisation in September. The mobilisation was widely regarded as botched, with many anecdotes of infirm and older recruits being called up in error and having to buy their own equipment.

In one video, a soldier standing in front of his uniformed comrades in a dimly-lit room speaks to the camera. He claims that they were drafted into the Belgorod region territorial defence brigade and stationed in Shebekino, a town in the Russian region bordering Ukraine. They were then transferred to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in Ukraine, where they were told to "storm villages," seemingly "without orders or explanations".

Also Read: China sending lethal aid to Russia, likely shift Ukraine war dynamics in Putin's favour

The soldier complains about the lack of equipment, communications, intelligence, and maps of the area, and refused to carry out the assigned tasks due to the heavy losses. His fellow soldiers want to continue serving, but only as part of Russia's armed forces.

Another video shows draftees from Russia's Orenburg region complaining that the militia of the DPR had been sending them to the frontlines as cannon fodder. In the video, one man addresses Putin, saying they were told they would be involved in territorial defence but were instead sent to Donetsk and handed over to local commanders.

He claims his colleagues did not have the skills to take part in assaults and had poor artillery, communications and reconnaissance support. He demanded that they be returned to Russian command, saying, "We are in a hopeless situation, as we are considered expendable, and the command is indifferent to our lives."

Also Read: One year of Russia-Ukraine war: A timeline of key moments so far

A third video shows a group of men, purportedly from Russia's 5th Motorized Brigade, also appealing to Putin about a lack of effective command. One man claims they had to use equipment from the 1940s and that "people die for nothing" adding, "we are not meat".

These videos have surfaced amid reports of high Russian casualties in Ukraine as a fierce battle for the Donetsk city of Bakhmut continues to rage. However, experts have said that Kyiv's forces have also suffered large losses.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sounak Mukhopadhyay
Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and sports. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer.
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Published: 08 Mar 2023, 05:50 AM IST
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