Putin troops mutiny
We haven’t got proper kit, food or medicine, says top officer
RUSSIAN separatist troops have mutinied against Vladimir Putin after being sent to the front without proper kit, medicine or food.
Soldiers from the 113th rifle regiment of the Kremlin-backed Donetsk People’s Republic released a video saying they have been fighting ‘cold and hunger’ for months.
Their commander said soldiers with chronic medical conditions had been sent to fight. Behind him, dozens of dishevelled men stood in mismatched uniforms.
‘The higher command interprets our complaints as sabotage,’ the commander says. ‘Show respect for your officers. What is there to be gained from sending your
‘Sending your soldiers to die’
soldiers to die?’ The breakaway republic’s army is on the frontline of the most intense fighting near Kherson, where Ukraine is mounting an impressive counter-attack.
It is a strategically vital region which links the Dnieper River to the Black Sea and has been occupied since the early days of the war.
But with Russia focusing on a victory in Donbas in the east, Kyiv has managed to push its forces back in Kherson.
The Donetsk commander complained of poor supplies and harsh mobilisation of those who should not have been called to fight. He said: ‘The personnel overcame cold and hunger and for a considerable period we did so without material support, medical supplies or food.
‘The mobilisation of our unit took place without any medical examinations, and there are those among our unit who in accordance with the laws of the Donetsk People’s Republic, should not be mobilised. There are members of our personnel who suffer from chronic diseases and others who are guardians of people with mental illnesses. For those who are fathers to children and taking into account the duration of our continued presence on the frontlines, many questions arise that are ignored by command.’
It comes after an infantry battalion of the 107th regiment of the republic’s army mutinied last week. They announced they would not ‘go to the slaughter’ to fight for a ‘foreign republic’, with their leader adding that 90 per cent of his soldiers had ‘seen the machine gun for the first time’.
Russia wanted to seize Mykolaiv in the south after taking Mariupol last month and the invaders are fiercely shelling the city. But strong Ukrainian counter-attacks have seen them getting pushed back and Kyiv believes it will soon be able to recapture Kherson.
Horror stories have emerged from the region, with reports of rape and torture, while there have also been acts of sabotage against the occupying forces.
Valery Kuleshov, a pro-Russian blogger, was shot dead last month after a reward of £15,000 was offered for the head of pro-Moscow officials. Threats have been posted on social media, telephone poles, trees and walls.
‘Russian occupiers and everyone who supports them. We are close, already operating in Kherson. Death awaits you all!’ warned posters that appeared on the day of Kuleshov’s execution. Ukraine’s flag also keeps appearing on buildings, along with the national colours of blue and yellow.
‘This is a local partisan resistance,’ said Serhiy Khlan, adviser to the head of Kherson regional administration. ‘It leaves the occupants uneasy every day, reminding them about the fact that Kherson is Ukraine.’