“Of course they kill their own people. It’s normal”: Russian soldiers reveal executions inside Putin’s army

But according to four Russian servicemen who spoke to the BBC, that is exactly what is happening inside Vladimir Putin’s army.

In rare and disturbing testimony, they describe a system where the threat does not only come from the battlefield, but from their own commanders and comrades.

“Don’t shoot, I’ll do anything”

One soldier said he watched a comrade beg for his life before being shot.

“I remember one of them shouting, ‘Don’t shoot, I’ll do anything!’” he said.

According to the testimonies, the term “zero” is used as slang for executing one’s own men. One soldier claims he saw 20 bodies of fellow troops dumped in a pit after being “zeroed.”

Another described watching a commander personally shoot soldiers at close range for refusing to return to the front.

“I saw it. Two meters away. Just murder. Click, clack, bang. It’s not a movie. It’s real life.”

Sent into “meat storms”

The men describe wave after wave of soldiers being sent across the battlefield to exhaust Ukrainian defenses. Russian troops reportedly call the tactic “meat storms.”

“They were sending wave after wave, throwing people like meat,” one soldier said.

Another survivor said he was the only one left alive from a group of 79 mobilized men.

“We had 200 dead in three days. Our regiment was destroyed in three days.”

Those who refused to participate were allegedly punished. Testimonies include claims of soldiers being electrocuted, starved or beaten before being forced into battle unarmed.

One man said he was tied to a tree, beaten and threatened with execution. Others urinated on him while a commander reportedly mocked him as a “new toilet.”

“They kill their own people”

A former Moscow appliance repairman turned battlefield medic said executions were treated as routine.

“Of course they kill their own people. It’s normal,” he said.

He accused a decorated commander, later awarded the title “Hero of Russia,” of overseeing executions and allowing widespread abuse.

The BBC also interviewed a former senior officer who said he had heard of “liquidation teams” sent to finish off wounded survivors.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years of service,” the officer said.

Kremlin denies abuse

Moscow has not published official casualty figures since the invasion began in February 2022. The British Ministry of Defence estimates more than 1.2 million Russian troops have been killed or wounded.

Russian authorities deny systematic abuse and say any alleged violations are investigated.

But the four soldiers say fear, violence and impunity define life inside Putin’s army.

“I am considered a criminal,” one said. “And my crime is simply that I do not want to kill.”

Another added: “I love my country. But not what Putin has made of it.”

Sources: BBC, Digi24.

This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation