Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
According to the report, the commanders are demanding to be transfered from the front at Pokrovsk.
Russian military units fighting in eastern Ukraine are showing signs of internal strain as combat drags on and casualties mount, a Ukrainian partisan-group reports.
Accounts from within occupied territories suggest morale problems are spreading across several frontline formations, raising questions about command and discipline.
Reports focus on forces deployed near Pokrovsk, a strategic hub in the Donetsk region where fighting continues despite Moscow’s claims of control.
Pressure at Pokrovsk
According to the Ukrainian partisan group ATESH, officers from Russia’s 39th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade are seeking transfers away from the Pokrovsk front.
Putin falsely claimed last month that Pokrovsk was “liberated”, but ATESH says the situation on the ground remains volatile and dangerous.
“The command is keeping [officers] in check with threats of disciplinary penalties, demotions, and complete career blocking,” ATESH reported.
The group said officers are being blamed for lost positions, ordered to file reports describing a “stable situation” that “does not actually exist”, and pressured to sign misleading documents.
Fear and fatigue
ATESH said officers are “completely demotivated, poorly oriented in local conditions, and perceive the Pokrovsk front as a dangerous posting”.
Many are “increasingly submitting reports requesting a transfer to the rear or to more peaceful frontline areas”, citing fear of anti-tank strikes, guerrilla attacks and intelligence leaks by local residents.
Separate ATESH reporting alleges severe problems in the 74th Motor Rifle Regiment in occupied Zaporizhzhia.
“Orders are given in a state of severe alcohol intoxication, without the slightest understanding of the real situation,” the group said, adding that losses reach up to 100 killed and wounded per month.
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The editorial has used AI to translate the text into English. We have not been able to verify, that the translation is correct, but the information corresponds with what other outlets report:
Russian officers on the Pokrovsk axis are submitting transfer requests en masse
Agents of “ATESH” embedded among Russian troops on the Pokrovsk axis report that officers of the Russian Armed Forces in units of the 39th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade are increasingly filing requests for transfer to the rear or to quieter sections of the front.
Commanders are holding them back through threats of disciplinary action, demotion, and the complete blockage of their careers. Officers are harshly reprimanded when positions are abandoned by their subordinates, forced to submit reports claiming a “stable situation” that in reality does not exist, and compelled to sign documents that are far removed from the facts on the ground.
Most of them are completely demoralized, poorly familiar with local conditions, and view the Pokrovsk axis as a dangerous exile. They live in constant fear of strikes by UAVs and partisans, as well as the possibility that local residents have already passed information about their command posts and movements to the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
Sources: ATESH
