The Russian military commanders are imprisoning the Russian soldiers for their refusal to engage in combat in the war in Ukraine, the British international TV channel BBC reported in its journalistic investigation.
Russian soldiers are imprisoned and beaten for refusing to fight
A Russian dad interviewed by the BBC claimed that his son had been beaten with a pistol because he had refused to return to the front lines of Russia’s war with Ukraine. He pleaded with his son to stay home when he was ordered to fight in Ukraine.
“There are relatives for you. Just say no. But he declared he was leaving. He thought he was right. I told him that he was a zombie. And that, regrettably, life would confirm”, said the man.
“He then left for Ukraine. Then he began sending me texts inquiring as to what would occur if he chose not to engage in combat”, the father added.
Later, he learned of a specific battle from his son. “He said there had been no preparation, no collecting of intelligence, and no cover for the Russian soldiers. Although they had been told to move forward, nobody knew what was in front.”
“But he had a hard time choosing not to engage in combat. Better to accept it, I advised him. This war is not ours. It’s not a liberation war. He promised to make his denial in writing. His guns were taken away, and he and many others who had decided to refuse were placed under armed guard”, the man explained to BBC.
The Russian man visited the front lines numerous times to obtain his son’s release. He sent many pleas to assist investigators, prosecutors, and military commanders.
BBC interviewed a Russian father who managed to bring his son from war back home
His efforts eventually produced results. He achieved his son’s return to Russia. Once he was free, the son told him what had occurred while he was being held captive, including how an “other group” of Russian servicemen had attempted to force him to fight.
According to reports, Russian servicemen who had been mobilized and refused to fight on Ukrainian soil in the war against Ukraine had been imprisoned in dungeons and basements.
“After beating him, they brought him outside and pretended to shoot him. He was compelled to lie on the ground while being instructed to count to ten. He declined. So they used a pistol to hit him over the head repeatedly. He claimed to have blood all over his face”, he said.
“Then they led him into a room and threatened to murder him if he didn’t join them. But someone later said that they would bring my son to work in the storeroom.”
Mobilized Russians’ complains
When Russia launched an all-out war against Ukraine in February, his son was a military officer. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that only professionals would participate in the war, calling it a “special military operation.”
But everything changed by September. In what the dictator described as a “partial mobilization,” Putin’s regime enlisted tens of thousands of Russian citizens, not military professionals, in the armed forces.
Many recently mobilized troops were eager to voice their displeasure at being pushed into a war zone in Ukraine without the proper supplies or training. There have been numerous reports from Ukraine claiming that Russian troops who had been mobilized had been held and, in some cases, imprisoned in cellars and basements for refusing to return to the front lines.
Russian mother’s testimonial, whose son was sent to war
Elena Popova from the Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors told the BBC that “it’s a technique of getting people to go back into that massacre.” “The soldiers are meant to remain there, according to the commanders. Only intimidation and violence are familiar to the commanders. But you can’t make someone fight”, she said.
The Russian authorities dismiss reports of disillusioned soldiers and detention centers as fake news.
Putin calls information about camps or jails for those who refuse to fight ‘a fake’
Russian President Putin reiterated earlier this month that there are no camps, jails, or other institutions for Russian soldiers. “There is nothing to support these false assertions; they are all nonsense.” We still remember that Putin was called the nonsense presence of Russian soldiers in the Crimea annexation in 2014. Later, he admitted that they were Russians.
The Kremlin chief stated, “We do not have any issues with personnel fleeing combat positions. “All normal people must react to a situation, including shelling or bombs dropping, even on a physiological basis. However, after a time of acclimatization, our men fight excellently.”
Another Russian soldier, a lieutenant, was described by the BBC as having stopped fighting. He was sent on deployment to Ukraine in July, and when he disobeyed orders, he was imprisoned. To let his mother know what was happening, he was able to get in touch with her back in Russia.
“He said he had declined to lead his men to inevitable death. As an officer, he knew they wouldn’t escape alive if they continued. My son was taken to a detention facility as a result. Afterward, I received a text message informing me that he and four other officers had been imprisoned in a basement. Five months have passed since we last saw them, “explained the woman.
“Later, I learned that all five men were missing, and their building had been shelled. Nothing had been discovered, they claimed. They are now listed as being Missing. It is not logical. It’s ridiculous. Not only was the treatment of my son unlawful, but it was also inhumane”, she declared.
Prisons and torture for Russian soldiers who refuse to go to the front lines
The claims about this dreadful practice by the Russian military commanders are nothing new. In July, several media, including The Daily Mail, reported that Russians were incarcerating soldiers who refused to serve on the front lines in Ukraine. According to the reports, the commanders forced them back into war under threat of execution or holding them in “torture pits” and basements.
There is a significant amount of personal testimony from Russian defectors who gave themselves up indicating that deserters are treated with extreme disdain, albeit the reality of the torture camps and detention centers in Bryanka, as recounted by the father of the Russian soldier. These claims could not be independently verified.
Early in the conflict, one of Putin’s captured soldiers revealed that a “death squad” of Russian operators had been dispatched to threaten or kill fellow citizens who turned in their weapons.
The defector stated: “As we came in, we realized the scenario, that we’re not going into a peacekeeping operation, but to war.” in an interview captured on camera by the Ukrainian Security Service in March, during the first weeks of the invasion. And with time, and Russia’s military defeats on the front lines, the situation of Russian soldiers, including those mobilized, severely deteriorated.
Photo: The Insider
