Now it has emerged that desperate conscripts on the frontline in Ukraine have been “playing dead on the battlefield” as they were left defenceless to Ukrainian attack. A Russian who fought in Moscow’s 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and a number of conscripts in his regiment were forced to pretend they were dead after they were left with just machine guns as defence.
His wife revealed their tactics and said that both he and others are set to face court martial after they left the frontline.
Ekaterina, spoke of how her 27-year-old husband was being trained in trench digging before he was moved to the frontline.
Speaking to Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent Russian news outlet, she said: “For many hours they simply lay on the ground and pretended to be dead for one simple reason: they no longer had any weapons other than machine guns.
“There were mortars against them, drones flew over them, if they even moved a finger, then a drone would immediately fly in and destroy them.”
With a number of conscripts reportedly being underage, and the majority given minimal training and little equipment, it is not surprising that morale among Russian troops is low.
According to officials in the West, antidepressant sales in Russia have soared since Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Irina, the wife of another Russian soldier said that her husband, 24, was shelled for 12 hours which left one of his commanders “torn to pieces”.
She said how the remaining commander ordered the troops to retreat before senior officials forced them back to the frontline.
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With the elite concerned about their finances and businesses, and adults worried for their children’s futures Russia is turning against Putin’s actions.
According to the official, Putin “has been weakened by this really catastrophic error”.
Figures have revealed that Russians have spent 70 percent more on antidepressants in the first eight months of this year compared to last.
In September, Putin declared that more men would be drafted into the army which sparked a mass exodus of men who would be drafted.
It is thought that at least 400,000 people have fled Russia since the announcement.