Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
According to the partisan group, at least 90 soldiers from the same regiment were granted “fake leaves” in 2025 alone.
Russian soldiers formally granted leave were instead deployed to dig defensive positions near occupied Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, according to claims from the Ukrainian-linked partisan movement Atesh.
In a post on Telegram, the group says the practice highlights severe manpower shortages among Russian units fighting in the Donetsk region.
Agents affiliated with Atesh reported that more than 90 soldiers from Russia’s 24th motorized rifle regiment were officially recorded as being on leave during 2025. Instead of resting away from the front, however, the soldiers were reportedly sent to areas close to Bakhmut.
“They were involved in building and deepening defensive positions. Such practice continues to this day due to an acute shortage of personnel in the unit caused by heavy losses,” Atesh writes.
The group says that while documents listed the soldiers as being on leave, they were in reality performing construction work for defensive lines in the combat zone.
Injury and cover-up
Atesh also described an incident during one such deployment that reportedly left a soldier seriously wounded.
“During such ‘leaves’, one serviceman stepped on mine and received severe injuries. After the incident unit command falsified documents, registering the event as an injury received while carrying out a combat mission,” the publication says.
The movement claims soldiers have been warned against discussing the alleged system.
According to Atesh, personnel risk punishment if they speak openly about the arrangement.
Atesh added that Russian soldiers are “directly threatened with transfer to assault units if they talk about a scheme with fake leave.”
The Battle of Bakhmut
In 2022, the Battle for Bakhmut began and saw some of the fiercest fighting in the Ukraine-Russia war, with some analysts describing it as the bloodiest battle since World War 2.
The Russian forces, mainly consisting of Wagner Mercenaries, took Bakhmut after nearly a year of fighting.
Reuters reported in December 2023, that the Russian forces had suffered close to 100,000 casualties in the battle.
Sources: Atesh partisan movement reports, RBC-Ukraine, Reuters, BBC
