February 13, 2023 – Russia-Ukraine News
Russian human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova on Monday asked Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov to investigate reports that mobilized men from Tatarstan were sent to fight in Ukraine “virtually unarmed”. .
This follows a video posted on social media in which about 20 men in camouflage uniforms say that when they arrived in Ukraine, they were divided into different units, transferred to the command of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR ) self-proclaimed and sent on a mission without any equipment or support.
“We were handed over to the leadership of the DPR. The local leadership does not care about us, we are considered here as expendable material. Their motto is: we fight until the last soldier, then we will send them more. new.” said one of the men mobilized in the video shared on social networks. “When we arrived here, we were divided into different units, they took all the material and humanitarian aid from us. On February 5, we were sent to attack without any preparation.”
Moskalkova said in a statement on Monday: “I sent an appeal to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, with a request for an investigation into the information that has arisen on the network that mobilized soldiers of the Republic of Tatarstan were sent to carry out combat missions as part of a special military operation with practically no weapons.
The Russian Human Rights Council – serving Russian President Vladimir Putin – also announced that it would consider another case involving mobilized men from Smolensk, who approached the council with a complaint about the actions of the military command. .
“I received such an appeal, and I managed to pass it through the channels of the HRC: an inspection was scheduled. So, if any of you are facing similar issues, contact them. At least we will help someone,” said Eva Merkacheva, member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.
According to Merkacheva, the mobilized soldiers from Smolensk were immediately sent to the front lines, where they remained for three months. After that, they were briefly sent to the rear and sent back to the front. They were not allowed “neither physically nor mentally to rest”.
The Human Rights Council said in a statement that it “will follow up this flagrant situation with those mobilized”.
What Wagner veterans say: Two veterans of the Russian private military company Wagner have told CNN of their horrific experiences on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, and how anyone who hesitated was immediately shot by their own commanders.
Both fighters were captured by Ukrainian forces late last year. CNN does not release their identities for their own safety. Both are married, have children and were recruited from prison. One was serving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter.
CNN’s Tim Lister and Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this article.
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