A Russian soldier fires a rocket-propelled grenade during training in the occupied Donetsk region. The photo comes from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Photo: Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Defense / Sipa USA
Soldiers in Russian penal units are likely to be sent back into battle without having their injuries healed – and even after amputations.
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Less than 20 minutes ago
- British military intelligence claims Russian Storm-Z soldiers, made up in part of convicts, are being returned to battle with untreated injuries and amputations.
- Russian authorities have not acknowledged the existence of Storm-Z units, with 100-150 soldiers each.
- The intelligence cites reports of minimal or no injury treatment for soldiers in Storm-Z, Donetsk militias and the Wagner group.
- Convicted recruits may be particularly vulnerable to poor treatment.
- The intelligence report is consistent with previous investigative journalism by Reuters, which described Storm-Z soldiers as less valued than regular soldiers.
Sea view
It is British military intelligence that claims this i a report.
They write about soldiers in so-called Storm-Z units. There are military units that partly consist of convicts who have been promised a pardon or shortening of their sentences if they fight in the war, partly of soldiers who have committed criminal offenses in the service – such as being drunk or disobedient, reports Reuters.
Russian authorities have never admitted the existence of these military units, which consist of 100-150 men each.
– These soldiers are just meat, a soldier recently told Reuters – and said that he had given medical treatment to six or seven wounded Storm-Z soldiers. He claimed that by helping the wounded he disobeyed an order to leave them.
British military intelligence now comes with some of the same information:
– Members of Russian Storm-Z units are very likely to be returned to combat duties with wounds that have not healed – and even after amputation of limbs, they write.
Ukrainian soldiers fire anti-aircraft artillery from their position at the front in the Zaporizhzhya region on Monday. Photo: YAKIV LIASHENKO / EPA / NTB
The intelligence cites credible reports that soldiers in Storm-Z, Donetsk militias and the Wagner Group have often received minimal or no treatment for injuries.
– It is likely that convicted recruits – who make up a large proportion of the Storm-Z units – are particularly vulnerable to poor treatment. One reason is that prisoners often lack the papers required to gain access to military hospitals, the British experts continue.
The British use the term “highly likely” for the probability of soldiers being sent to the front without having received treatment or after amputation. In their vocabulary, it means 80-90 percent probability that it is correct.
They use a scale that gives a 55-75 percent certainty that the claim that convicted recruits receive particularly bad treatment is correct.
Vladimir Putin spoke last weekend at the national meeting of his support party United Russia. However, he will not stand as a candidate for this party in March 2024. He will be a so-called “independent candidate”. Photo: YEKATERINA SHTUKINA / AFP / NTB
The intelligence report is largely in line with investigative journalism that Reuters presented in October. There, a man stated that Storm-Z soldiers are not considered to be worth as much as regular soldiers. Reuters’ many sources were all anonymous – for fear of reprisals if their names were to be known.
– If the officer discovers that someone smells alcohol, they are immediately sent to the Storm-Z units, says a source to the news agency.
Reuters tried to get comment from the Russian Ministry of Defense on the claims in the article, but did not receive a response.
Monday’s claims from British intelligence have not been commented on in Moscow either.
Published:
Published: 25.12.23 at 01:07
2023-12-25 00:07:00
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