A Russian commander reportedly ordered his soldiers to open fire on subordinates attempting to retreat. Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) released an alleged intercepted phone call on September 25. The agency claimed the recording captured a conversation in Donetsk Oblast in which the commander demanded that Russian troops stand their ground at all costs.
The reported order surfaced as Ukrainian troops continue with their counteroffensive in Donetsk Oblast, where around 160 square kilometres (60 square miles) of land had been recaptured. On September 18, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that seven villages in the Dobropillia and Pokrovsk directions were back under Ukrainian control, referring to information provided by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Although the audio’s authenticity has not been verified, the commander reportedly said:
“There is no way to retreat, no way! No one is retreating anywhere; everyone is standing their ground. If anyone runs away, shoot them.
“I’ll say it again, you f*kers: if anyone runs away, just shoot them.”
An investigation by the independent Russian outlet Important Stories found that over 50,000 Russian troops have deserted the front lines since February 2022. Many were forced backed to fight under conditions described as near-suicidal.
In July, Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov reported on Telegram that a Russian soldier shot his comrade as he attempted to surrender to Ukrainian forces along the Zaporizhzhia front. The video captures a Russian occupation soldier, hands bound, running down a dirt road before collapsing, while Ukrainian forces monitor the scene with a drone.
The Wagner mercenary group, which mainly recruits fighters, trains them, and manages logistics and bases, is notorious for employing the tactic of executing soldiers who are trying to retreat, with some deserters killed in public to warn others.
After Moscow’s partial mobilisation in September 2022, President Vladimir Putin raised the prison sentences for desertion and surrender to between three and ten years.
