Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
They didn’t receive any armor either.
Soldiers riding into battle on horseback, medical equipment from the time of the Soviet Union, vehicles from the Cold War, soldiers charging in golf carts.
After nearly four years of war in Ukraine, the Russian army is facing a massive shortage of equipment, forcing the Russian Command to rely on outdated equipment as well as everyday items to still be able to maneuver.
According to Euromaiden Press, Russian soldiers are even forced to scavenge equipment from fallen soldiers on the battlefield – some Russian soldiers are even ordered to do so by their superiors, but not because of equipment shortages:
As a form of punishment.
Execution by attacking
A new investigation made by the journalists of Verstka, an independent Russian outlet, 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.
Those not being shot on the spot face an even more terrifying form of punishment.
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”.
“47 went into battle – five returned”
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.”
The claims could not be independently verified by independent sources.
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.
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, Euromaiden Press
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
