"Drawing on testimonies from serving soldiers, relatives of the dead, leaked videos and official complaint records, Verstka said it had identified 101 Russian servicemen accused of murdering, torturing or fatally punishing their own comrades. The outlet said it had verified at least 150 deaths, though they said they believed the true tally to be far higher. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports of soldiers being killed by their own side and of so-called blocking units deployed to prevent retreats have circulated widely."
"Verstka cited testimonies from soldiers who said commanders had appointed execution shooters to open fire on refusers and later dump their bodies in rivers or shallow graves, registering them as killed in action. Other accounts describe commanders using drones and explosives to finish off wounded or retreating soldiers. In several cases, officers allegedly ordered drone operators to drop grenades on their own men, disguising the killings as battlefield strikes."
An independent Russian outlet identified 101 Russian servicemen accused of murdering, torturing, or fatally punishing comrades and verified at least 150 deaths while estimating a higher true toll. Testimonies from serving soldiers, relatives, leaked videos and official complaint records underpin the findings. Methods of enforcement include appointed execution shooters, dumping bodies in rivers or shallow graves and registering them as killed in action, use of drones and explosives to finish wounded or retreating soldiers, orders to drop grenades on own men, and prolonged beatings and torture in pits covered with metal grates. The Kremlin denies indiscipline within its forces, blaming problems on the Ukrainian army.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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