Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
He also reveals that Russian soldiers are drinking to gain courage before misisons.
As the fighting in Ukraine drags on, a Russian soldier has shared chilling details from inside his storm assault unit on social media, revealing the staggering losses, fear and desperation that define life on the front line.
According to Kyiv, Moscow’s forces have suffered more than one million casualties since the invasion began in February 2022.
Many of those now fighting are convicts drafted from prisons, promised freedom in exchange for their service.
From prison to the front
One such soldier, a young man from Russia’s Altai Krai region, said he joined the army to avoid an eight-year prison sentence for an unspecified crime.
He has been deployed in Ukraine for roughly six months as part of a stormtrooper assault group.
In a social media video, he described the devastating losses his unit endured, recalling one mission where “a hundred people went to another position to fight, but only five came out.”
He estimated that 95 percent of his fellow soldiers were killed in some attacks, calling the fighting “impossible to survive.”
Drinking for courage
According to his account, many in the unit turn to alcohol before combat to cope with fear and uncertainty.
“Here, every second one drinks for courage before going on a mission,” he said, describing the grim routines of soldiers sent repeatedly into near-suicidal assaults.
But fear of death is not the only pressure they face. The soldier said troops are ordered to shoot anyone attempting to flee or risk being shot themselves.
“There’s nowhere to go: it’s either you or him being shot. Well, if you don’t reset him, you are reset yourself. That’s how it is,” he said.
Corruption and despair
In August, Russia’s Investigative Committee launched an inquiry into soldiers from the elite 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade.
They were accused of faking combat injuries to collect over 200 million rubles (£1.8 million) in state compensation.
The alleged fraud reportedly involved 35 decorated officers and enlisted men who used the scheme to claim cash payouts, benefits and military honors.
The case underscores the disarray and corruption plaguing parts of Russia’s military as the costly war continues to drain manpower and morale.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
