Russia is executing soldiers who have failed to follow orders and refuse to fight in Ukraine, the White House said on Thursday.
This comes amid US doubts about Russian soldiers’ morale 20 months into its invasion of Ukraine, said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Kirby told reporters: “It’s reprehensible to think about that you would execute your own soldiers because they didn’t want to follow orders and now threatening to execute entire units, it’s barbaric.
“But I think it’s a symptom of how poorly Russia’s military leaders know they’re doing and how bad they have handled this from a military perspective.”
The White House has released intelligence findings about Russia’s actions over the course of the war in order to keep allies clear-eyed about Moscow’s intent.
READ MORE: Satellite images show Russia building new military bases
This latest information about Russia’s struggles comes as President Biden presses the Republican-controlled House to provide more funding for Ukraine as Kyiv attempts to repel Russia.
Kirby renewed a plea for Congress to pass a nearly $106 billion funding request that Biden announced last week, which includes more than $61 billion for Ukraine.
Kirby said: “President Putin is not giving up on his aspirations to take all of Ukraine and as long as Russia continues its brutal assault we have to continue to support the Ukrainian people and their self defense, because his intentions are clear.
“It’s critical that Congress step up and pass the supplemental requests that the president put forward last week.”
Kirby did not provide details on how many Russian soldiers have been executed or any specific examples of units threatened with execution for retreating from Ukrainian fire.
However, the Wagner Group military contractor was reported to have had a practice of executing soldiers who fled, while reports from the British Defense Ministry point to deployed Russian “barrier troops” that threaten to shoot deserters.
Kirby added: “They are in such desperate need to make some kind of progress, particularly in the Donbas, the Donetsk areas, that they are literally throwing young men into the fight who haven’t been properly trained, haven’t been properly equipped, and certainly are not being properly led.”
While Russia continues to relentlessly attack Ukraine, Ukrainian forces have made limited gains and stepped up attacks inside Russia.
Moscow accused Ukraine on Friday of launching explosive drones towards a Russian nuclear power plant.
Both Ukraine and the US have accused Russia of weaponizing energy supplies since the war began, including occupying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine.
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