August M
A former Russian serviceman has alleged that one of his unit’s medics was killed in a brutal punishment ordered by commanders. The claims, shared in a video message, describe violence not by enemy forces but from within Russia’s own ranks.
The account was reported by the Express and attributed to a soldier now in hiding after fleeing his brigade.
A fatal warning
Yegor Vladimirovich Korotkiy said the unit’s chief medical officer was targeted after allowing wounded troops to seek hospital treatment. He claimed the decision enraged senior officers.
“They eliminated our chief medical officer, who was worried about our lives and health,” Korotkiy said. According to his account, the medic was drenched in petrol and set on fire.
“We found the body around 3 a.m. in a burned-out Kamaz truck,” he added. Korotkiy also alleged that others involved in approving hospital leave were killed. “They killed everyone who signed our leave slips at the hospitals so they could send us to the front lines,” Express reports
Who is speaking
Korotkiy said he served with Russia’s 164th Motorised Rifle Brigade and has since deserted. In the video, he described going into hiding after witnessing what he characterised as systematic brutality.
His testimony has not been independently verified, but it adds to a growing number of accounts from soldiers who say they were punished for seeking medical care or attempting to withdraw from combat, Express notes.
No escape route
According to Express, Korotkiy claimed that retreat was blocked by barrier troops positioned behind advancing soldiers. These units, he said, were under orders to prevent withdrawal.
“They shouted, ‘Only forward and forward’. After which they shot us. They shot practically all the men who were there,” he said.
He described bodies left uncollected on the battlefield. “There were a lot of bodies lying around, and no one’s even collecting them. Headless, armless, legless.”
War backdrop
Russia’s war against Ukraine, launched in 2022, has been defined by prolonged frontline fighting, heavy use of artillery and drones, and high casualty rates. Both sides rely on mass mobilisation and sustained pressure along extended front lines.
Accounts from defectors and captured soldiers have repeatedly pointed to harsh discipline, limited medical access and severe penalties for retreat, underscoring the human cost of the conflict.
Sources: Express
