- Russian soldiers are being subjected to brutal punishment on the Ukrainian front, Verstka newspaper reported.
- Soldiers allege that the convicted soldiers are abusing their comrades while their commanders are away from the front lines.
- The media published a video showing naked soldiers being beaten and others tied to trees.
According to a shocking article in Russia's independent news outlet Verstka, Russian soldiers were tied to trees for days on the front lines in Ukraine, forced to rape each other, and forced to commit crimes such as being thrown naked into pits. , subject to cruel and extrajudicial punishment.
The newspaper interviewed several Russian soldiers over a three-month period and found that while commanders were stationed in secure locations away from the front lines, soldiers recruited from Russian prisons bullied and abused mobilized soldiers. He described the brutal conditions.
“Our prisoners are completely insane,” one soldier told Verstka, citing a lack of front-line rotation and the rising death toll as reasons for his anger.
Outlet obtained video The footage showed four naked men being beaten and verbally abused by military personnel before being forced into a dug hole.
Verstka reported that a soldier yelled at his naked victims: “What are you doing, you damn dog? Don't move, everyone stand… and run into the hole to mate, prostitute.” Run away, you fat bitch, you whore!'' she reported yelling. ”
Business Insider was unable to verify the claims in the article.
Misha Maltsev, a soldier who shared the video with Verstka, said it was a typical form of informal punishment for those who drink or use drugs while on duty.
He also claimed that the vigilantes “then make them have sex. They sit and watch it. They laugh and urinate on it. It's like watching TV.”
handcuffed to a tree
“This is hell,” said another Russian soldier. “They are killing each other. Ukrainians are also killing each other. The orders are stupid. We all understand that we cannot succeed, but we are letting them die anyway.”
Verstka also released a video that appeared to show an unidentified soldier tied to a tree.
Those who refused to fight were also subject to brutal punishment, with Russian soldier Semyon Kiscolov telling the outlet that he was handcuffed or tied to a tree for several days and not allowed to eat or drink.
Kiscolov claimed that this happened to him and his brother in November 2023, after he denied the assault.
Maltsev told Verstka that wounded soldiers were often stitched up and sent back into battle, while the bodies of their dead comrades were left to rot nearby.
After speaking with them, the newspaper noted that Maltsev and his entire unit were killed in December 2023 in the village of Krinki on the east bank of the Dnipro River, where Ukraine has a beachhead.
In a third video, two men appear to be shot near the head with machine guns and beaten with sticks. You can hear moans, screams, and the sounds of people hitting their bodies. “That's it, please forgive me,” cries one of the “punished” people.
Russian “Storm Z” squad
The Russian military has suffered heavy casualties throughout the war, and some analysts believe the Russian military is employing “human wave tactics,” sending large numbers of soldiers on foot to try to overwhelm Ukrainian military positions. Explaining.
These soldiers are often poorly trained or poorly equipped, increasing the death toll.
Last year, the Kremlin established a “Storm Z” force. Some of the soldiers in this unit are convicted criminals who participate in combat in exchange for a reprieve from their sentences.
According to a translated press release, Ukraine said the combat capability of Storm Z is extremely low. pravada.
According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense's Main Intelligence Directorate, soldiers in this group suffer from alcoholism, engage in looting and are prone to desertion.
