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A group of Russian separatist soldiers have revolted after their commanders left them at the front “hungry and cold.”
Since Vladimir Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, there have been several stories about the surrender of largely recruited soldiers.
New images published in the Telegram show an entire battalion claiming to be the 113th rifle regiment in the Donetsk People’s Republic, amid a riot.
The group of men lined up while their commander read a statement on behalf of all of them.
He said they had been stationed in the Kherson region of eastern Ukraine, a strategically important area where there has been intense fighting recently.
He claimed that his men had to “overcome the cold and hunger for a considerable period without material support, medical supplies or food” while in the port city.
The unnamed soldier went on to say that his fighters were recruited “without medical check-ups”, meaning there were some people with chronic illnesses who “should not have been mobilized”.
The same goes for those “who are guardians of people with mental illness.”
Most of the Kherson region is under Russian occupation (Photo: AP) There is still a pro-Ukrainian presence in Kherson “which leaves the occupants restless every day” (Image: Getty)
But when troops take these questions and complaints to the top command, they are said to be “ignored and interpreted as sabotage.”
The commander said: ‘Show respect for your officers. What do you gain by sending your soldiers to die?
Each fighter wore a piece of white cloth tied around some part of his uniform, presumably to act as a “white flag” surrender signal.
Ukraine has previously promised Russian mothers that they could come and pick up their unharmed children in Kyiv.
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But it is unclear how the surrender will work for these men, as most of Kherson is under Russian occupation.
However, pro-Ukraine rebels have been operating in the area with threats and Ukrainian flags hanging on social media and pinned to telephone poles, trees and walls.
A sign read: “Russian occupiers and all those who support them. We are close, we are already operating in Kherson. Death awaits you all!”
Serhiy Khlan, a Kherson regional administration adviser, said: “This is a local partisan resistance. It leaves the occupants uncomfortable every day, reminding them that Kherson is Ukraine.”
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