Horrifying footage appears to show a Russian commander forcing two soldiers to fight to the death in a punishment pit after they refused to take part in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. The unverified clip, allegedly filmed in the occupied Donbas region, lifts the lid on the extreme brutality and lawlessness within the Russian army, where discipline is frequently enforced through fear, humiliation and savage violence.
The soldiers were ordered by their superior – known by the call sign “Kama” – to engage in what was described as a “Gladiator fight to the death,” with the winner promised release. Officers from the same unit, the 114th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade, apparently placed bets on which man would survive. A witness, quoted in Russian Telegram channels that have shared the video, said: “One killed the other in the end, choking him with bare hands.”
The men involved were described as “refuseniks” – troops who had resisted orders to fight, or who had expressed unwillingness to serve on the front lines.
The practice of throwing such soldiers into so-called punishment pits or “zindans” is reportedly becoming increasingly common, especially within brigades suffering heavy casualties in the Donetsk region.
A post on one Telegram channel said: “I’ve seen everything, but nothing like this. Of course, let them kill each other rather than Ukrainians, but… here it is, this is the Russian army.”
Another channel, Airborne Forces For Truth, claimed such violence was far from isolated. It said: “Such cases of lawlessness in the war are not isolated. If an objective investigation is not conducted into the scandal then all these parasitic law enforcement agencies are worthless. That’s how we fight…”
A third commenter, reacting to the widespread outrage the footage provoked online, said: “Kama [the Russian commander] didn’t expect this horror to become a [social media scandal]. Now it will be all over for Kama and those who filmed it… But only because it got publicity. Otherwise, it’s business as usual.”
The practice of punishing refuseniks in this way fits into a wider pattern of coercion within the Russian armed forces. Human rights groups and independent Russian journalists have long documented the use of beatings, mock executions and torture against soldiers seen as uncooperative or cowardly.
Many are held without trial in basements, pits or cages with little food or water, often for weeks on end.
Russia’s high casualty rates have been particularly acute among these types of units – composed of forcibly mobilised men, convicts, or poorly trained volunteers from remote regions.
Moscow’s military strategy has focused heavily on mass assaults, frequently throwing under-equipped soldiers at fortified Ukrainian positions in what analysts have labelled a “meatgrinder” approach.
One example is the battle for Avdiivka, where tens of thousands of Russian troops were sacrificed for marginal gains. A similar pattern is now emerging around Chasiv Yar.
Such operations are often directed by mid-level commanders like “Kama,” many of whom are given wide latitude to maintain discipline through fear.
The Kremlin has not commented on the footage or on the broader allegations of extrajudicial punishments within its armed forces. Independent investigations into such incidents are rare, and few if any officers are ever held to account.