Putin’s mutineers
» New Russia regiment refuses to fight Ukraine » Dispute over pay plus food & water shortages
RUSSIAN commanders are facing mass mutiny with at least one more regiment refusing to fight.
Spooks from Moscow’s GRU and FSB intelligence agencies are trying to quell a rebellion by the 127th Regiment of the First Army Corps for a second time.
Ringleaders of the dispute over pay and horrific conditions, such as water and food shortages, are known to have disappeared after being interrogated.
It comes as Russian mercenaries from the notorious Wagner Group are trying to recruit violent convicts to fill gaps left by a mounting death toll.
The regiment refused to fight a battle near the city of Kherson because they were left without water and pay. The same unit – involving hundreds of soldiers – refused to fight in July and were already being investigated by FSB spies. Other units have also seen mutiny by war-weary troops over the summer.
Ukraine’s intelligence analysts believe up to 50,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, with losses mounting.
Wagner Group commanders were already trawling notorious prisons, offering clemency to murderers to sign up to fight in Ukraine for six months.
But now they have started recruiting in Ukrainian prisons, looking for pro-Russian locals in disputed Donetsk.
Frontline Russian troops have suffered water, food and ammunition shortages since Ukraine started dismantling their supply chain deep into Crimea. A Western defence source said: “All indications are that Russian forces are losing more ground than they are gaining. “The Ukrainians are naturally cautious to celebrate but they are inflicting significant damage. Reports of troops refusing to fight are extremely damaging and it appears commanders are losing their ability to give their troops the basics.”
Ukraine’s troops raised their flag in several villages and a town in the south and east in a counter-offensive.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the Commons Ukraine’s troops are making “real gains” but added: “The fighting is close and hard.”
Yesterday Russian forces shelled Kharkiv, destroying a blockof flats.
It’s damaging... commanders are losing the ability to give their troops the basics
WESTERN DEFENCE SOURCE ON RUSSIAN TROOPS REFUSING TO FIGHT