CNN has on Saturday spoken to an anonymous Russian officer who chose to leave Vladimir Putin’s war after witnessing death and destruction in Ukraine.
He reveals that the soldiers were not told what the purpose of the mission was at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Anger at war concerts: – Greedy
– Denied immediately
First, the soldiers were ordered to paint “Z, as in Zorro” on their military vehicles. Then they were sent to the Crimea without knowing why.
Two days later, on February 23, they were told to enter Ukraine.
– Some of the guys refused immediately. They wrote a report and disappeared. I do not know what happened to them. I stayed, but I do not know why. The next day we went into Ukraine, he says to the channel.
Snorts of threats: “Incredibly big”
– Felt guilty
The officer claims that he was not alone in being ashamed. When he was eventually moved further from the front and had time to reflect on what he was a part of, he decided.
– We had a radio and could listen to the news. That’s how I learned that stores are closing in Russia and the economy is collapsing. I felt guilty. But I felt even more guilty because we came to Ukraine, he says.
– Finally, I gathered my courage and went to the commander to deliver my resignation.
The commander first protested and said that it was not allowed to refuse to serve, but the officer stood his ground. He is now with his family again, according to CNN.
sea view
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Low fighting morale
Already in the initial phase of the war, one was reported low morale among Russian soldiers. Videos of crying Russian prisoners of war allegedly calling home to their mothers went around the world, and several said they did not know where they were.
Jeremy Fleming, head of the British intelligence agency GCHQ, has previously claimed that Russian soldiers refuses to obey orders and sabotages own equipment.
Last week reported The Guardian that several Russian soldiers have refused to move on to other areas of Ukraine.
Avisa claimed that soldiers at a Russian brigade were told to get ready to move, but that several of them are said to have refused because they did not support the invasion.
Asks Putin to show mercy
This week it became known that senior Russian officials have proposed a new law that will eliminate age limits for military contract soldierswrite The Guardian. It reportedly indicates that the Russian military has major shortcomings in the offensive in Ukraine.
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