Rumors have long circulated that morale among Russian troops is low. New soldier cards confirm this once again.
It is said that the Russian government lies to its own soldiers, cares for them miserably and treats them “like dogs”. This emerges from letters that were verified by the news website “The Insider” and the international research network “Bellingcat”, according to the news channel “ntv”. Letters from Russian soldiers and their relatives were therefore submitted to the Russian military prosecutor’s office. Insider has published several examples in Russian, and the internet newspaper Meduza has translated some into English.
Wounded soldier in hospital – must keep fighting
For example, the letters contain reports that wounded Russian soldiers are not being treated properly. A wife laments that her injured husband is in the hospital but not receiving treatment – he has been told to keep fighting. “They say, ‘There are a lot of people like you. It’s just psychological trauma. Your arms and legs are still trapped. You can still fight,'” she says.
Desperate parents want remains of dead son
However, there are also reports that the parents are not informed of their son’s death or that it is not confirmed, although they have heard from other soldiers. They no longer had telephone contact with him and so heard from comrades that he had died in an attack on their infantry fighting vehicle.
“We have sent DNA samples. We ask that you examine them. It has been a month. At least send his remains back so he can be buried as a human being,” the desperate parents wrote to Russian authorities.
Soldiers knew nothing of their fate
As the letters also show, many Russian soldiers do not receive an official contract and still have to go to the front. Many fighters do not even know what fate awaits them: under the pretext that they are taking part in a military exercise, they are sent directly to the war zone in Ukraine. They would not have the opportunity to say goodbye to their families, nor would their parents know where their children ended up, the reports said.
“When I called my son, he said that they were being transferred to training, but it turned out that they were being sent to war. In training in Valuyki, soldiers were told that they were under contract from 23 February, but my son has never signed anything. And everyone else who is with him is also recruited,” writes one mother.
Single navigation account Time 08.15.2022, 13:31| Act: 08/15/2022, 1:31 pm