Russian commanders in occupied southern Ukraine are facing mass mutinies as entire regiments reportedly refuse to fight due to a lack of basic supplies and no pay.
The Russian 127th regiment of the 1st army corps reportedly ignored orders to join a battle near the southern city of Kherson, according to intelligence cited by Ukraine’s southern operational command.
Mail Online reported that Soldiers who led the mutiny told superiors they could not fight because they had endured weeks of water shortages and scarce rations, all while not receiving their paychecks.
Russia’s GRU and FSB intelligence agencies ‘investigated’ the individuals responsible for leading the revolt and ‘removed’ them from their positions, according to Ukraine’s military.
The mutineers are likely to face a harrowing fate as they will all be shipped off to detention centres in Russian-occupied territory before being forced into returning to the front lines or held in awful conditions and tortured.
It comes as Kremlin-installed local government officials in Kherson said they were forced to suspend a ‘referendum’ on whether the city should join the Russian Federation due to safety concerns amid Ukrainian counter-offensives in the region.
The 127th regiment is just one of several Russian units which have chosen to ignore orders amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In the footage, the commander can be heard saying: ‘Our company overcame cold and hunger and for a considerable period we did so without material support, medical supplies or food.
‘The mobilisation of our unit took place without any medical examinations, and there are those among our unit who in accordance with the laws of the Donetsk People’s Republic should not be mobilised.
‘Many questions arise that are ignored by command… Show respect for your officers – what is there to be gained from sending your soldiers to die?’