After more than a month of war against neighboring Ukraine, there are now more and more reports that Russian soldiers are refusing to fight.
Igor Girkin says: “Unfortunately, I have information that many soldiers in the Russian army, after being told to send them to fight in Ukraine, say:“ No, I am in breach of contract ” Thursday morning.
Girkin is known as Strelkov, which translates in Norwegian as “The Shooter”. A veteran of Russian artillery, he played a key role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and later in the war in the Donbass.
– Lieutenant-General Arne Bord Dalhaug says to Dagbladet if they are enough, he can limit the operation.
shaken by russian soldiers
– Numerous reports
Dalhaug thinks this may be part of the reason behind more Russian forces stopped.
The weak effort against Kyiv and the northeastern parts is an indication that fighting morale was not good, says Dahlhog.
It may seem as though reports of war denials have caused a snowball to roll, as many Russian soldiers are now seeking help with escapes and wars. This, in turn, could change the outcome of the war.
– There have been many reports on this matter and they indicate clear disciplinary problems, but we do not know the extent of their prevalence, and whether they are being dealt with, the team says.
The person sitting on more information is attorney Pavel Chekhov.
Engaged in humanitarian law: Pavel Chekhov, lawyer and leader of the human rights group Agora, which previously won the Rafto Prize. Photo: Ole Gunnar Onsøien / NTB
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Call thousands
Chekhov works for the Russian human rights organization Agora, which has become Closed in Russia February 2016. Since then, they have worked from other countries.
at Posts on Telegram Chekhov comes with reports that more than 3,700 people have called Help channel on message service associated with anti-war protests. Reportedly, 721 people, recently mobilized for military service and other military personnel, have applied for help from the organization’s counseling center.
Two things that can motivate them
– There is information on thousands of officials and soldiers from Rosgvardija And seven cities in the Russian Federation, which refuse to go to war, are the so-called “deniers”, writes Chekhov.
The advisory center is said to have opened less than two weeks ago.
Dagbladet has been in contact with Chikov, who does not want more details about the situation, but will provide more information as soon as it becomes available.
LONG EXPERIENCE: Dalhaug was the OSCE Observer Corps Commander in rebel-held Luhansk between 2016-2019.
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Young people have control
– From April 1, recruits have been called up in Russia and I think the fear of being sent to Ukraine, is the basis for more people to refuse it, says Dalhaug.
Although access to information in Russia is very limited, the general says it is a society divided by age.
Young people and computer scientists have good control, because not all channels of information on the Internet can be stopped, says Dalhaug, and adds:
– And it is the young people who will be called up for military service, and they will probably have a much greater understanding of what awaits them.
long sentence
Can a conscript refuse to participate in the war?
As a soldier in the armed forces, you must basically follow orders, says Una Hackvog, senior researcher at the Armed Forces Research Institute (FFI).
If you break the contract as a recruiter, Hakvåg believes some sort of criminal case could be created.
– Russian soldiers who obtained a permit without permission or deserted can be punished with imprisonment for 5 and 10 years, respectively, according to the Russian Criminal Code. Says the chief researcher.
Researcher in Russia: Una Hackvog speaks Russian and has published articles and research reports on Russian security and defense policy. Photo: FFI.
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Soldiers’ mothers respond
Both Dalhaug and Hakvåg say there is still every reason to believe Chekhov’s statements. In addition, Russian mothers expressed fears about sending conscripted sons to war, which they believed to be illegal.
– The laws of our country state that only contract administrators can participate in such operations, writes Soldiers’ mothers on their websites.
The organization is highly respected both in Russia and internationally. Among other things, they have received Rafto Award for his work.
– However, there are also officers who are trying to send recruits to the site to carry out a special military operation, he continues.
desperate situation
They are drawn into the war
Hackvog realizes that Russian soldiers have been lured to other countries without documents, where they are suddenly in the country illegally, and therefore have to choose between imprisonment or fight.
– There are reports about this in independent Russian media, but we do not know how extensive they are, says the chief researcher.
– That’s one of the big questions here. I think it is very likely that some soldiers did not know what they were after and had no desire to enter this war.
Disciplinary issues
According to Reuters, speakers from Ukraine and the West said that Russian forces are suffering from dangerously low morale in the “special operation” against Ukraine.
The messages were confirmed by the UK Government’s Head of Communications (GCHQ) Jeremy Fleming.
– Do the dirty work
“We’ve seen Russian soldiers – who lack weapons and morals – refuse to follow orders, sabotage their own equipment, and even accidentally shoot down their planes,” Fleming said.
Something Lieutenant General Dalhaug knows.
– It’s not unexpected either. They suffered heavy losses and chaos reigned. It was reported that Russian soldiers had no food and that the vehicles had no fuel. All this helps lower morale and leads to disciplinary problems.
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