Kathrine Frich
Russia soldiers sent to fight in Ukraine face not only enemy fire, but danger from within their own ranks.
Growing reports suggest that troops who refuse to fight or question orders are being “zeroed out”, a chilling euphemism for being killed by their comrades.
Families of the victims say they’re silenced, threatened, and denied justice.
The case of Konstantin Urusov
Konstantin Urusov, a 45-year-old conscript from Moscow, vanished two months ago after warning his family that he might be “eliminated” for refusing to fight. “
If I don’t contact you, it means I’ve been shot,” he told them.
His relatives believe he was executed by his own unit, a fate now haunting many Russian soldiers.
Forced back to the front
After suffering catastrophic injuries in 2023, Urusov could barely walk.
Doctors initially declared him unfit for service, but the decision was reversed, and he was forced back to the front lines.
When he refused to sign a new contract, his commanders threatened to send him into assault missions, or “zero” him. His family has heard nothing since.
“Killed by his own people”
In another case, the daughter of a Russian serviceman released a video accusing her father’s comrades of murdering him.
“My father was killed with particular cruelty by his colleagues,” she said.
Eyewitnesses told her that he was first beaten, then shot, but officials dismissed the killing as a case of drunken misconduct.
Families silenced and denied compensation
Relatives say authorities are covering up the killings by branding victims as alcoholics or deserters.
In the Belgorod morgue, the daughter was told she would receive no compensation because her father was allegedly drunk.
“They probably just want to get rid of us,” she said, as the official investigation drags on in silence.
“Obnulovanie”, the army’s deadly slang
The term “obnulovanie”, meaning “nullification” or “zeroing”. has become grim military slang for execution.
It refers to soldiers who are “cancelled” by their comrades or commanders for disobedience, complaints, or moral refusal to fight.
The word has spread through Russian units since the start of the war.
A culture of intimidation and fear
According to multiple testimonies, commanders use threats of “zeroing” to maintain control.
One soldier who contracted HIV in a field hospital said he was warned:
“If I start making noise again, they’ll deprive me of treatment and send me to the front. And there they’ll either throw me into the attack, or cancel me themselves.”
“Mom, they’ll cancel me and say I committed suicide”
The phrase has become tragically common among Russian soldiers who fear execution disguised as suicide.
One mother from Kursk recounted how her son Daniil pleaded with her to stop protesting military abuse. Weeks later, he was dead.
“My son doesn’t say such things lightly,” she said. “Then they sent them to the border, and he never came back.”
Desperation caught on video
In 2025, a soldier named Pavel Stovchan livestreamed a suicide attempt after being denied release from service.
He later said commanders had threatened to “cancel” him if he refused to return to the front.
His case drew brief media attention, then vanished from official channels.
Witnesses punished for speaking out
Some soldiers who report corruption or abuse become targets themselves.
Alexander Rassokha, a serviceman from the 433rd Regiment, recorded a message saying he feared returning to his unit after exposing officers who “reset and rob” their comrades.
“The commanders will kill me there,” he warned. His current fate remains unknown.
A collapsing moral order within the ranks
What emerges from these testimonies is an army consuming itself, where fear replaces discipline and silence becomes survival.
Soldiers who resist are erased; families are left without answers.
As one relative said: “Instead of defending their homeland, they are carrying out summary executions.”
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
