Oleg is a resident of one of many areas in Northwest Russia. He fought in Ukraine for a number of months and afterwards, returned dwelling regardless of being informed by his superiors that he couldn’t go away. Oleg went to the entrance as a volunteer however was horrified by what he needed to face. He informed our journalist concerning the poor safety, looting, lies from the command and big sacrifices that needed to be made. We even have proof that wounded and sick Russian troopers are often deserted with out medical care, a few of whom have extreme and really contagious ailments.
Editor’s observe: The volunteer mentioned on this textual content agreed to talk with the Barents Observer completely on the situation of anonymity. We can not confirm the reality of lots of his statements however we reliably know that this man genuinely served within the Russian military after which left his unit opposite to the request of his commanders. On this article, we’ll merely name him Oleg.
“If I had identified, I might by no means have gone to such a shit gap
“It’s like a GULAG there. They don’t wish to let anybody out besides toes first. Each soldier is aware of about this and all of our kin learn about it too. Solely the blokes on prime appear to not know something. You watch the applications on TV. All the pieces is all the time clear and delightful there… No, properly, perhaps that is true for the tanks. They arrive in, take two pictures after which simply fuck off and go away the remainder of us to take the rap for every thing that follows.
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Oleg just isn’t a younger man. When he was youthful, he was declared unfit for army service for well being causes. This summer time nevertheless, he determined to go to battle with Ukraine so as to, in line with him, personally see how issues have been on the entrance. Like all volunteers, he signed a contract and deliberate to spend three months within the battle and, in his phrases, “if he appreciated it, he would keep longer”. He didn’t prefer it.
I used to be on the entrance from begin to end. There was a fuck-ton of losses. We have been getting killed day by day. Corpses have been piling up on each side. Individuals have been hitting tripwires left behind by each side. There have been no mining maps. Everybody was getting blown up. It didn’t matter whose mine it was. The “Wagners” would kill 150 folks per day. Nobody is aware of this as a result of it by no means leads to the official studies! However they’re laborious core criminals.”
Editor’s observe: “Wagners” are mercenaries working for the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s personal army firm who’ve been overtly recruiting convicts from Russian prisons for the reason that summer time.
“We have been getting killed by artillery, snipers and mines. Either side have been scattering “lepeski” (anti—personnel mines) in every single place. Everybody makes use of phosphorus ammunition. They spit on the principles of battle. I prayed day by day for everybody. There was nothing else to do. Should you didn’t consider in God earlier than, you turned a believer quick. You ask your self: How did I get right here? After which, properly, you begin considering solely about the right way to survive. You may change into a corpse at any second. The bullets by no means cease. Each soldier says that if they’d identified, they’d by no means have come to such a shit gap.”
In keeping with Oleg, Russian troopers aren’t solely affected by the enemy but additionally from being poorly provided.
There’s no fucking meals. Everyone’s hungry and chilly… They bring about you buckwheat kasha, macaroni and rice however it is advisable undergo artillery shelling to get to the properly for water. And also you’re not allowed to make a hearth on the place as a result of the Ukrainians will instantly fuck you up. How are you presupposed to boil the kasha? They’re mocking us. They gave us dry rations, 14 packets for 10 folks. These rations are designed for a day however we needed to stretch them for 2 weeks.
We went via these fucked up villages. There’s a root cellar in each home and we grabbed every thing we might discover. The jars have been expired with rusty lids and half lined in mould… However we took it and ate it. What else might we do? We additionally went via deserted beehives on the lookout for honey. You’d get stung however at the very least you’d get a number of handfuls of honey to eat.
There have been additionally homeless cows. The villages are all bombed. The locals both ran away or died. We shot a cow as soon as to get some meat. A number of others received blown up stepping on mines and we ate them too.
Allegedly, we have been presupposed to get humanitarian support. The authorities would swear left and proper that every thing was coming however in reality not one motherfucking factor ever got here. There have been 5 pairs of socks for 100 folks, ten units of mittens and a few hats. Clearly, every thing is being stolen. No less than, nothing reached my element. I didn’t have a hat so I discovered one which used to belong to some Ukrainian and walked round in that. That’s how everybody has to do it there. I discovered some form of torn sweater and put it on so I wouldn’t die from the frost. I needed to continuously do push-ups and squats to attempt to keep heat. And what? You may’t gentle a hearth, the uniforms are fucked and all I had have been summer time boots.
If there was a possibility to get one thing, we needed to pay for it with our personal cash. I had a number of possibilities to go to town and so I ended up shopping for every thing myself, even this fucking uniform. And it was some huge cash. I additionally had to purchase my very own walkie-talkie to get via from place to place. Those they gave us have been full shit and the batteries would run out in half a day.”
“Have you ever ever seen a tractor? You’ll be a mechanic on an armored personnel provider!”
In keeping with Oleg, different troopers agree that that is additionally the state of affairs in different components of the Russian military.
“A few of my colleagues have youngsters who’re additionally serving however in different areas. All of them say that every thing is precisely the identical with them. They have been simply thrown out onto the sphere with out meals or cigarettes or something. They have been informed to start out digging trenches however they didn’t give them something to dig with…
The entire entrance is like that there. Who would wish to proceed preventing? Everybody says that they by no means ought to have come. I might by no means have dreamed in my worst nightmare that every thing could be so fucking brutal. There have been individuals who had been in Chechnya through the battle and even they mentioned they’d by no means seen something so brutal.
They informed us we’d have a change of garments on a regular basis and that there could be meals. However there have been all the time a variety of delays. They hand out promedol [an opioid analgesic] to the wounded for ache however the guys say that it doesn’t even fucking work. All the pieces is all the time overdue. What have been we presupposed to do?”
Many troopers and their kin have spoken out concerning the military’s lack of provides. The Barents Observer has beforehand reported that there are actually a whole bunch of complaints on the Russian governors’ official net pages concerning the poor situations for the mobilization and volunteers. All of them say that they lack probably the most primary requirements from meals to tools. The authorities nevertheless have lengthy refused to acknowledge the issue, claiming as a substitute that each one Russian preventing items “have all the required tools.” Just one official, Dmitry Peskov, the presidential press secretary, has ever even talked about that there have been difficulties. He mentioned this on the finish of October but additionally added that these issues could be resolved quickly. Regardless of these guarantees nevertheless, complaints proceed to be posted.
Oleg describes the state of affairs on the entrance as a giant mess.
“There are not any certified folks. Guys with none expertise are placed on the tools. They ask you probably have ever seen a Belarus tractor after which they inform you you’ll be a mechanic on an armored transporter! All the autos are outdated decommissioned rubbish that hardly drive. Once we have been evacuated, a tank crashed into us at full velocity! It was one in all our Russian tanks and guys have been sitting on the armor. The crash smashed their legs and one man had his head damaged open. They have been hamburger…
The artillery there’s additionally incoherent. I might move on details about the enemy’s location and it will journey via ten units of palms earlier than our folks began capturing. However by that point, the targets have been now not there. With buddies like these, who wants enemies? This complete fuck up is within the palms of the Ministry of Protection. They’re enjoying some form of bullshit sport. I might like to consider in our president and Shoigu. They each communicate so superbly and their eyes are so sympathetic. However you may’t consider in them. It by no means works out as they are saying.
The Ukrainians although actually know the right way to shoot. They do a superb job. They’ve been taught by professionals. We now have to respect the Ukrainians. They struggle properly.”
“We’re slowly dying right here”
The Barents Observer has a letter from the spouse of a soldier from one of many areas in Northwest Russia. Within the letter, the girl asks the authorities of the so-called Donetsk Individuals’s Republic (DNR) to assist her husband, who can also be a volunteer. He received pneumonia however was given no medical care. This was additionally true for 15 others from his unit.
In keeping with the letter, the boys have been left in a home in one of many settlements of the Kharkiv area. Troopers had taken over the home and despatched the earlier occupants to seek out some place else to reside. The lads have been in extraordinarily severe situations. A number of have been affected by pneumonia and bronchitis, one had a really dangerous concussion, one man had a fractured rib and one other had an injured leg.
Within the letter, the girl wrote:
The officers all left. However earlier than they did, they made the boys hand over their weapons and uniforms. They didn’t go away them something to make the home livable and so they got no medical care. They’d no medicines, no gentle and no gasoline. My husband informed me that they have been slowly dying there.”
In keeping with accessible info, a number of volunteers had power ailments, comparable to bronchial asthma, imaginative and prescient issues or coronary heart illness. Two males had hepatitis C, a transmissible an infection that may be handed on by contact with the blood of a provider. It’s unimaginable to confirm, however it’s well-known that the military actually is sending folks with hepatitis C into fight.
Oleg additionally talked about them sending sick folks to the entrance.
“I ought to by no means have been allowed to serve. I’ve a number of power ailments and I’m too outdated. However they don’t verify anyone’s well being in any respect. My medical examination took 5 minutes and I used to be assigned… They put me within the highest health class. In truth, if they’d correctly checked, ninety p.c of the boys who served with me would by no means have handed.”
A volunteer with commitments
Oleg was a volunteer and signed a 3 month contract. When the contract expired, Oleg informed his commander that he needed to go dwelling. In response nevertheless, he was accused of desertion.
“At some point, they started to withdraw us from our positions. There have been rumors that we have been going to Kamenka [a military unit in the Leningrad region — Ed.]. There we’d get debriefed and the contractors could be launched. And by that point, the mobilization was already “formally” over. However our commanders informed us we weren’t going anyplace and that we needed to serve till the battle was over. Once we arrived on Russian territory, I informed my commander once more that I needed to go away however he informed me that if anyone left, they’d all be declared deserters. Effectively, fuck it, we handed over our weapons and left anyway. We hitchhiked to the closest metropolis, I purchased some civilian garments there after which I went dwelling.”
Oleg is indignant about the entire state of affairs.
My contract was over and there was no extra mobilization. Within the army enlistment workplace, they informed me that I had the fitting to terminate the contract of my very own free will. I by no means left my publish. We had already been taken again to Russian territory. On what grounds might I be detained? I imply fuck, I went there to guard folks and so they made it like I used to be only a faggot!”
An activist from St. Petersburg’s Moms of Troopers motion, who additionally requested to not give her title due to the danger of persecution by the Russian state, defined there isn’t a such factor as a “volunteer” within the Russian Armed Forces. In truth, the state deceives folks by claiming that they’ll go to the entrance of their very own free will and might go away it on their very own as properly.
“These males don’t perceive their standing in any respect. They signed a contract, which technically makes them contractors. However now Putin has put a ban on closing contracts. These paperwork change into perpetual or at the very least they’re in power till Putin loses curiosity in persevering with the slaughter. Nonetheless, this doesn’t essentially imply that you haven’t any alternative however to surrender and do what you’re informed. We now have strategies to assist such folks,”
Oleg is now again in his hometown. He claims that he’s not going to cover from the authorities. In his opinion, he has dedicated no crime nor has he achieved something improper or unlawful. “I’ve fulfilled my obligations to the Armed Forces however they haven’t fulfilled their obligations to me.” Oleg can also be upset by the truth that he was underpaid for his participation within the battle with Ukraine.
This story was initially revealed in Russian. Translated to English by Adam Goodman
