Press
The relatives of the Russian soldiers harbor a grudge against Vladimir Putin. In an open letter, they report on the conditions in the Ukraine war.
Volchansk – Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, numerous soldiers have lost their lives. According to Ukrainian estimates, more than half a million Russians have already fallen victim to the war. Many soldiers complain about the poor conditions under which they have to fight in the war. The soldiers’ relatives no longer want to watch. In an open letter, they demand clarification about the missing husbands, brothers and sons.
During Putin’s Kharkiv offensive: Russia’s women demand clarification on missing soldiers
Specifically, it concerns the soldiers of the 1009th Regiment, who received the order on May 9 to advance towards Kharkiv, to the town of Volchansk. In the Ukrainian border town, there have been particularly heavy battles in recent days. “During all these days, our men fought for five days without a break – they slept for an hour and a half (on the way and whoever could), there was no food and no water, [sie] were morally and physically exhausted,” the relatives wrote in the letter, which the independent weekly newspaper Pskov Province published on May 15th.
The letter was addressed to the provincial administration of Pskov in northwestern Russia. Most of the men of the regiment who took part in the Kharkiv offensive are said to be from the region. “The regiment did not receive rotation and adequate reinforcements for such an offensive, as a result of which the regiment suffered and continues to suffer colossal losses in soldiers,” the letter continues.
Russia’s soldiers on the front lines of the Ukraine war as “cannon fodder”
A soldier reported to his wife about the poor conditions under which the Russian soldiers had to fight. The men were said to have no “physical and moral strength or ammunition” left, so they decided to retreat. The command then threatened to charge them with treason. They did not change their minds because they wanted to save their own lives and those of the other soldiers and because they were surrounded by the Ukraine without supplies.
This behavior is said to have been not without consequences for the soldiers. The women report in the further part of the letter that the men who withdrew were sent to the 82nd Regiment, “where they were told that they would be used ‘as cannon fodder to keep fighting.'” Since then, the women have received no further information about the men.
Russia’s missing soldiers: Women search for men online
They also report in the letter that the soldiers are not receiving adequate medical care. One soldier is said to have lost consciousness due to a concussion. He is said to have been pulled out of the fighting by his comrades, but the women complained about the lack of medical care. The relatives are also searching for their relatives on social media. On the Russian network vk Some pictures of the missing soldiers were shared.
However, the narrative of Vladimir Putin and his propaganda remains intact in the letter. “None of the mobilized soldiers of the 1009th Regiment refuses to defend the Fatherland. But how can they do that without proper supplies, rotation, water, food, sleep and medical care?” the women write. Russia also sends many inexperienced soldiers to the front. Therefore, a Russian front-line soldier warns inexperienced men against recruitment. (vk)
#Russias #women #demand #clarification #Kharkiv #offensive #soldiers #missing #war