Asger Risom
A disturbing video shows a Russian soldier viciously attacking a fellow serviceman with a metal bar. The incident follows a botched assault in eastern Ukraine and highlights growing fractures within Russia’s military ranks.
Discipline and morale are under severe strain in the Russian military, as a brutal assault between soldiers sheds light on internal breakdowns within frontline units. The violent beating, captured on video, took place after a failed mission near Toretsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Violence Erupts After Battlefield Retreat
The incident involved four members of Russia’s 150th Motor Rifle Division. They had been ordered to take positions in the village of Poltavka but met fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces.
One soldier was fatally wounded, and another retreated under fire, leaving two comrades behind.
After regrouping at base, one of the surviving soldiers confronted the deserter and launched into a violent attack with a metal bar.
Footage shows the assailant repeatedly striking his comrade in the legs and upper body as the victim lies helplessly on the ground.
Captured and Condemned
The soldier who carried out the beating was later captured by Ukraine’s 82nd Air Assault Brigade. Ukrainian forces found the video on his phone and released it online, using it to expose conditions within Russian units.
In a recorded statement, the captive soldier warned others against joining the Russian army.
“Don’t sign up,” he said. “Better prison than this. You’ll either die, kill your own, or destroy families.”
Reports of mistreatment and violence among Russian ranks have become increasingly common. In another instance, a commander with the 4th Guards Tank Division was caught on video beating and humiliating his troops, forcing them to “trim the grass” with their fingers at a barracks outside Moscow.
The leaked videos underscore rising tensions, lack of discipline, and growing desperation within Russia’s armed forces as the war in Ukraine grinds on, as reported by Express.