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“I’d rather be in prison”. Some Russian soldiers are begging to be jailed rather than fight in Ukraine, but the system won’t let them (en.zona.media)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/world
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Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation decree from September 2022 left soldiers with three legal exits from the army: turning 65, certified ill-health, or a prison sentence. The first applies to almost no one; the second is, in practice, near impossible: the military medical commissions that decide such things are not in the business of letting people go.

With losses mounting and conditions at the front deteriorating, a growing number of men are now trying to be charged with desertion; it sounds grotesque, but they see no other option but to beg investigators for “mercy” and paying for lawyers’ services to fight for “the right” to be imprisoned. The military, short of bodies for the front, has other ideas.

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[–] 11 points 5 months ago (5 children)

I guess I'm kind of confused here. Isn't imprisonment just the punishment for refusing to serve? So if the government won't let them be imprisoned then what happens if they just refuse to serve anyways? It is Russia so I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is that they get shot but I haven't heard of that happening yet at least.

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  • [–] 12 points 5 months ago* (4 children)

    what happens if they just refuse to serve anyways?

    • cart them off to the front (yes, against their will)
    • punish them if they don't fight. I'm pretty sure this ultimately includes shooting

    And as someone else pointed out, they know how to force and cow and punish. The Russian army is infamous for that.

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  • [–] 13 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Honesty I'm surprised we don't see more cases of fragging by now.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago*

    We just don't have good info about what's happening inside the Russian army, or inside Russia, especially in English (one reason I like mediazona so much).

    I seem to remember reports about scores of deserters who were greeted with open arms but a) I guess Russia has cracked down on that, b) people do not want to read humanizing stories about Russian soldiers, or even Russians in general.

    OTOH there's plenty of both horrifying and decent human stuff from Russian soldiers if you care to look - hmm, mostly in Telegram, I guess.

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