Soldiers from a Russian brigade are said to have been threatened and abused by their own officer. A fighter was apparently hung from a tree.
In heavy fighting in the Zaporizhia region, Russian soldiers apparently not only had to deal with Ukrainian troops, but also with their own commander and his officer. They are said to have been beaten and threatened. This is suggested by audio recordings that have appeared on the Telegram channel Astra. This is run by independent Russian journalists.
The Australian historian and military expert Chris Owen reported on Twitter about the incident, which is said to have taken place at Robotyne in early August and refers to the Astra publications. Accordingly, forces of the 2nd Company of the 3rd Reinforcement Battalion of the 810th Marine Infantry Brigade came under heavy fire. They are said to have defended trenches there. According to the Telegram report, they were “without communication, drinking water or food”. In addition, the injured and dead were left to their fate.
After the attacks got stronger, the commander ordered the retreat. At this point, several members of the company had already been injured or had fallen, and 19 others are said to have needed help.
Threat of penal battalion
The affected company belongs to a brigade attached to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. According to Ukrainian information, she is said to have lost 85 percent of her soldiers last year, among other things in fighting in Mariupol. The losses were apparently made up with recruits.
The commander of the battalion, Sergei Belashko, and his political officer reportedly had little sympathy for their fighters. The latter – his name is said to be Nikolai Botsman – is said to have instead threatened to kill them for withdrawing. Botsman then called five wounded soldiers who had asked for a medical examination and beat two of them. One of the men fell unconscious.
Allegedly fighters hanged on a tree and grave dug
What the political officer probably didn’t know: The incident was recorded. In the recordings, he can be heard yelling at the soldiers and accusing them of causing his comrades to die. “I got two out of there,” countered one of the soldiers, according to Chris Owen’s translation. “Shut up!” Botsman calls back. “Why does it take all the circus? How far do we want to go?” He then threatened to take the soldiers away. “I’ll just say you ran away.” Again and again a babble of voices can be heard, screams, dogs barking in the background.
embed
Astra also refers to alleged eyewitness reports that the officer handcuffed a soldier and hung him from a tree for a day. He is also said to have put a gun in his hand and asked the guards if they could testify that the soldier had attacked him. And finally he is said to have asked other soldiers to dig a grave. In the audio recording, Botsman then tells the soldiers that he is disbanding the unit and sending them to a penal battalion. “Only a miracle can save you.” He then warned her not to ask for a medical exam.
What finally happened to the soldiers is not yet known. The audio recording breaks off after 2.49 minutes. However, some of the soldiers are said to have later spoken to the journalists from Astra. “We don’t refuse to fight, we don’t want bosses like that,” they said.