A Russian soldier has spoken out against Vladimir Putin and the military leadership over the state of their equipment and the high amount of casualties they are seeing.
The soldier who’s alias is Denis Ivanov described the situation in his unit, the 94th Regiment as dire and fears for his life.
In an interview with Radio Liberty Ivanov said that they don’t have air support as they are fighting in the Ukrainian village of Andriivka, Donetsk region.
He said that they have no “artillery support” and in some cases have no choice but to go at the Ukrainians “with shovels.”
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Radio Liberty reported that Ivanov’s family shared that when they were mobilised the 94th Regiment had around 1,000 soldiers, now only four hundred are left.
Ivanov’s wife said, “He called on Thursday (14 September) and said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were taking Andriivka and breaking through to Bakhmut.
“And they are thrown into this Andriivka practically without weapons.
“He said that basically ‘we are going at them with shovels and without artillery support’.”
She described the situation as hopeless situation and she quoted her husband, saying, “There’s no retreat because there are people behind us who won’t spare us either.”
To stop Russian soldiers from retreating or running away Moscow put in place the “barrier units” who’s job it is to kill anyone who tries to flee, even if they have no ammunition or are badly wounded.
Ivanov himself told reporters, “We send twenty-five people on a mission, and only six return. Our artillerymen are currently launching assaults.
“They were told ‘you still have no ammunition; go in as infantry.’ But the guys don’t even know what an assault is.
“Essentially, they send us there as cannon fodder.
“We need the coordinates for our artillery and information about the targets we should engage, but our artillery can’t function because they lack shells.”
“When you report this situation to the command, their response is ‘So what?’ That’s a direct quote: ‘So what?’” he added.
He said that Russian top brass order their troops into Andriivka knowing full well there is little to no chance of them returning alive due to the heavy and consistent bombardment of artillery fire in the village which has been completely destroyed.
Ivanov said, “The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ artillery is constantly active. They let you enter the village, but they won’t let you leave. Everyone is well aware of this.”
A pro-Kremlin journalist detailed the fighting in the village of Klishchiivka, a few kilometres from Andriivka describing the devastating fire power and cluster munitions Ukrainian forces are using.
The Kyiv Post reported that the pro-Kremlin journalist said of the Ukrainian troops, “Their artillery works for them very accurately and competently. Clusters. They don’t spare shells at all.
“Previously, they stopped working when we were within 150 meters of their positions. Now they hit us even when we are within 50 meters.”
He described how Russian soldiers are met with horrific artillery fire that “immediately razes them to the ground,” concluding, “tadvantage in artillery, observation and adjustment from the air is decisive for them.”
