Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
And if they do not get shot outright, they are “executed by attack”.
A new investigation made by the journalists of Verstka has uncovered disturbing reports from within Russia’s front-line units in Ukraine, suggesting that commanders are carrying out summary executions of their own troops.
The practice, known as “obnulenie” — meaning “reset” — allegedly targets soldiers who refuse to take part in near-suicidal assaults.
The claims could not be independently verified by independent sources.
Executed for refusing suicide missions
According to Verstka, an independent Russian outlet, witnesses and former soldiers describe brutal punishments, including beatings and shootings of servicemen who resisted orders.
Some of the bodies, the investigation claims, were later buried in mass graves to conceal evidence.
Most of the accounts came from men discharged from active duty or recovering from injuries.
They said those unwilling to participate in what they called “sacrificial attacks” were either killed outright or sent into battle under impossible conditions.
Complaints to the military prosecutor’s office reportedly went unanswered.
Sent to death without armor or ammo
Executions are not the only method used to “eliminate” insubordinate troops.
Several accounts mention soldiers being deliberately sent into missions with minimal chances of survival.
Men were allegedly deprived of body armor or ammunition and told to collect weapons from fallen soldiers on the battlefield – a form of “execution by attacking”.
A former member of the 114th Mechanized Brigade recalled an assault in the Donetsk region in early 2023: “Out of 47 people who went into battle, only five returned.” The rest, he said, were “reset.”
Direct killings reported
Witnesses also described direct executions. In one case, a soldier who refused to act as “bait” to draw enemy fire was reportedly beaten and shot, though officially listed as “missing.”
Other accounts mention sniper executions ordered by commanders.
A man identified as Aleksei said that in his brigade, led by an officer called “Belîi”, at least 60 troops were executed between 2023 and 2024 for disobedience or retreating under fire.
Pay or be “reset”
According to the Verstka report, several sources claimed that commanders demanded bribes to spare soldiers from hazardous missions.
Those unable or unwilling to pay were sent on operations with little chance of survival.
One of the officers named was Kurabek “Kurort” Karaev from Dagestan, who appeared in a recent Russian state television documentary.
Despite being implicated in the abuses, he was allegedly promoted to colonel and received several state awards.
Escalating brutality
Reports of internal executions within Russian ranks have surfaced since the first months of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
However, according to Verstka, such methods have become increasingly systematic by 2025.
The latest findings describe a pattern of torture, forced detentions in improvised pits, and starvation as tools of control.
As the war drags on, the testimonies paint a grim picture of growing desperation and brutality inside Russia’s own lines.
Sources: Verstka, Reuters, BBC, AP
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
