Vladimir Putin was confronted by furious soldiers over his failure to deliver the wages he promised Russian men in exchange for their enlistment, it has emerged.
A man identifying himself as a Russian commander shared a video addressed to the Russian leader denouncing him over “promises not kept” in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The man is believed to belong to the Storm Z unit the Russian Defence Ministry created in April 2023 which is nearly entirely made up of convicts.
In the footage, shared on Telegram earlier this week, the purported commander claims Putin’s officials had “tricked” him and his men into joining the war effort.
He said: “All of my guys, and me, are having problems. When we were invited to join this unit, we were promised payment of [$2,500], but it ended up being two times less.”
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“All of the guys here bravely defended the interests of the Russian Federation, and spilled their own blood, practically each one of us has been wounded, and severely wounded. I ask you to help achieve justice.”
The man called on Putin to deliver on his promises and “ensure” his men receive the “payments and social benefits” promised them when they signed up to fight in Ukraine.
Human rights activist Olga Romanova this week claimed conditions at the front have become “unbearable” and heavy losses have forced Russia to turn to convicts to keep fighting.
Romanova told German publication BILD: “They’re just sending inmates to the frontline in Ukraine en masse and sacrificing them there.”
It comes after reports published earlier this month claimed Russia has lost an estimated 100,000 men since the start of the war in Ukraine
Putin turned to mobilisation twice since February 2022 in a bid to keep his forces replenished, even passing a law raising the mobilisation age to 70 last autumn.
Former intelligence official Admiral Lord Adam West claimed the conflict will only grow “bloodier” in the coming months as the Russian leader is not interested in the heavy losses.
Lord West said: “The casualties will go on. Putin doesn’t care about his people dying. He couldn’t give a s**t about them.”
And only last week, former Russian commander Igor Girkin warned Moscow could soon run out of men in Ukraine as he expected Putin not to mobilise more men until after he secured a victory in March’s presidential election.
Girkin said: “They will try to patch up ‘holes in the ranks’ and new units at the expense of prisoners and contract soldiers.”
