Russian soldiers have complained that they are treated “like slaves, not soldiers” by their military commanders. This comes as Russian forces on the frontline enter a second freezing winter at war with Ukraine.
Ivan, one of the soldiers on the frontline of the war, told Current Time reporter Timofei Rozhanskiy that he has had enough. He told the Russian-language news network that he regrets volunteering to fight for his country, adding that there “were no time limits for us here”.
Another soldier, Aleksander, complained that many troops are equipped with faulty vehicles and weapons.
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He said: “We don’t have vehicles, they’re buckets of bolts. They can hardly move. The commander isn’t bothered that it will stall when guys get in and then be targeted.”
Ivan voiced regret for not deserting the army when he could, saying: “At that time, I considered myself a patriot and wanted to fight for Russia.
“But having seen all the pluses and minuses of our army, I think the Defence Ministry has work to do.
“I could have run away, but I didn’t. Sometimes I regret this.
“Many of us feel like we’re not soldiers but slaves because there are no time limits for us.
“We don’t know how long we will be here. The longer we’re here, the less chance we will come home.”
Ivan and Aleksander mentioned an infestation of mice in the trenches – a claim corroborated by Ukranian intelligence this week.
A new intelligence report revealed that Russian soldiers were facing a “mouse fever” outbreak due to worsening conditions.
Diseases spread by rodents were leading to “sudden intense headaches, fever, chills and nausea” among the Russian troops.
Ukrainian officials say hemorrhagic fever renal syndrome is spreading “en masse” through the Russian ranks.
Meanwhile, exact figures for soldier desertions are not available, but the independent news outlet Mediazone has reported that 2,076 criminal cases were opened in the first half of 2023 against Russian soldiers accused of abandoning their units without leave.
That is twice the total for 2022 and three times higher than the figure for 2021, while the true figures are likely much higher than those reported.
