Russian soldier describes the Ukraine War as “destruction of the Russian people”

The New York Times interviewed some soldiers of Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade and received insights on Russian military preparedness in Ukraine. For example, troops did not have sufficient critical medical supplies, sufficient walkie-talkies, sufficient maps, sufficient food, etc. They were also issued Kalashnikov rifles made around the 1970s. Some soldiers were reported as using Wikipedia for instructions on weapon use.

From the Business Insider:

In a New York Times investigation detailing Russia’s failures throughout the conflict, the story of Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade is one of the clearest examples of the poor decision-making that has defined the invasion.

While in combat, the troops in the naval brigade lacked sufficient food, maps, critical medical supplies, or walkie-talkies, and they were forced to use 1970s-era Kalashnikov rifles — with some members having to resort to using Wikipedia to locate instructions for using certain weapons — according to the report.

In interviews with The Times, several members of the brigade told the newspaper that some of the newly-enlisted military fighters had little experience with guns and spoke of having few bullets to use in combat.

The members were initially told by their commanders that they wouldn’t see combat, per the report. But once they witnessed their comrades being killed around them as Ukrainian forces were firing upon them, they realized that they weren’t told the truth about their role in the conflict.

A Russian solider named Mikhail — who in October witnessed many of his comrades dying near the Ukrainian town of Pavlivka — told The Times that of the 60 members of his platoon, 40 were killed and just eight members eluded serious injuries.

“This isn’t war,” Mikhail told the newspaper from a hospital near Moscow. “It’s the destruction of the Russian people by their own commanders.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin displayed a high degree of confidence in the country’s military when he launched the invasion of Ukraine in late February.

But nearly ten months later, Russia has been unable to defeat the Ukrainian military and has found itself shunned and isolated from the West.

According to The Times, Putin “spiraled into self-aggrandizement and anti-Western zeal,” which drove him to make the decision to invade Ukraine “in near total isolation.”

Per The Times report, Russia’s invasion plans showed that the military expected troops to march across Ukraine and swiftly take control of the country, with officers being instructed to bring along their dress uniforms and medals for military parades in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

The Russian military, which was seen as a formidable force before the conflict, in actuality had been “severely compromised” by longstanding corruption, per the report.

Russian troops on the ground in Ukraine relied on old maps — some from the 1960s — to navigate their way across the country, and many used their cellphones to call numbers in Russia, which allowed Ukrainian forces to locate and attack them. The Times report also detailed how some Russian pilots flew their planes as though they weren’t in peril.

The Business Insider has additional details.

Category: Russia, Ukraine