The development was reported by Radio Svoboda, the Russian-language section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as cited by Polish state news agency PAP.
Such instances of insubordination among Russian soldiers have been increasingly frequent recently, according to Radio Svoboda.
The men, who had been mobilised in October, were supposed to serve in the territorial forces in their own region, but eventually were sent to the front, without proper training and weapons, the outlet reported on Tuesday.
Rebellion
The reservists recorded a video message to the governor of Kaliningrad in which they said they were being “led to the slaughter,” according to Radio Svoboda’s website.
They said: “Our commanders are far away, we have no means of communication, none of our superiors visit us … They are using us as a first line of attack, like cannon fodder.”
The men added: “Yesterday we were supposed to be sent to attack. This assault didn’t make sense because we were supposed to attack an area that could not be captured for several months. We all refused as one.”
Radio Svoboda interviewed a sister of one of the reservists, who said her brother had called her to say that their situation was “terrible.”
“The boys don’t know what to do," the woman was quoted as saying. "They have two options: take part in the attack and die or defect and go to prison."
Meanwhile, independent Russian outlets reported that "a group of reservists from the republic of Tuva in Siberia" last week issued a similar appeal, after they, too, were deployed in the Donbas without proper training, according to the PAP news agency.
They claimed they had been abandoned on the frontline, without being assigned to any unit, and also said that they had "suffered regular beatings" from soldiers of the Kremlin-controlled Donetsk People’s Republic, PAP reported.
Mobilisation
In September, Vladimir Putin mobilised 300,000 additional troops for his continuing invasion of Ukraine and warned the West he was ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia, according to news outlets.
The Kremlin’s partial call-up has fueled public anger, led to an exodus of fighting-age men from Russia and sparked protests across the country, the Reuters news agency reported at the time.
There were also reports of organisational chaos, with people with disabilities and without military experience allegedly called up, as well as instances of alcohol abuse among draftees.
Moreover, reservists were reportedly provided with poor-quality weapons and accommodation, the PAP news agency reported.
According to Ukrainian officials and various media outlets, the Kremlin may announce another wave of mobilisation later this month for a new large-scale offensive against Ukraine.
Wednesday is day 357 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP
