Reports also surfaced during the first portion of the invasion that these Russian troops were surrendering without a fight because of a lack of food, fuel, heat and morale. Russian troops were being issued rations expired for more than 6 years and that most of their troops had been lied to, telling them that they were just going on military exercises. While it was true that the Russians had been training with the Belarusian military for a few months prior to the invasion, they did not reveal to their troops that they were eventually going to invade Ukraine. This legal issue about using conscripts in an active war zone may have had a lot to do with couching the invasion as a “Special Military Operation.”
Going back to Ivan, he also revealed to his mother that he and his other comrades had tried to terminate their contracts and switch to conscript service as they were promised they’d be sent back to Yurga, Russia. Some 250 soldiers wanted to terminate their contracts in total.
Upon receiving these termination requests, agents from Russia’s security service, the FSB, and a prosecutor showed up, telling them that they would be served with criminal charges if they wanted to terminate their contract as this allegedly constituted a military offense for refusing to follow orders.
Under this threat, these 250 people, including our Ivan, were compelled to sign new contracts where they would specifically agree to participate in Russia’s so-called “special military operation.”
Let’s try and piece this information with previous reports.
Now, we have confirmation that the Russians did force some of their conscripts and soldiers to fight in Ukraine by threatening them or directly lying to them. Ivan’s story informs us that the Russian military did not want to let their troops terminate their contract. The possible reason behind this is that soldiers who share the same or similar sentiments to Ivan (or people like Ivan who don’t want to fight), if granted their termination, could start a flurry of terminations and resignations. Conscripts enlisted for 12 months could be expected to be upset about being sent to a combat zone with so little training, but a revolt among the 400,000 Contract soldiers represents the core professional cadre of the Russian armed forces also trying to get out of the fight. Were Russia to allow Contract troops to switch over to Conscript status, the army would be forced to return them to Russian territory and see them leave the service within 12 months. This would create a manpower shortage in the short term and a major retention problem in the long term. Russia can’t really sustain a conflict with Ukraine under such conditions.
Faced with the reality of remaining in Ukraine as Contract troops in seeming violation of the terms of a contract that would keep them in Russia and being threatened with prison for protesting their treatment by the government, large numbers of Russian troops began deserting from the army and either fleeing back to Russia in civilian clothes or seeking refuge in Ukraine itself.
A Russian soldier surrendered. Ukrainians gave him tea, food, and let him call his mother on video. I want to cry from how much I love my country. pic.twitter.com/ZiERQsyBbo
— Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) March 2, 2022
SOFREP and other media outlets reported that Russian troops were actively abandoning their fully-fueled and operational Russian military vehicles and stealing civilian clothes and cars. Once they did, they took off for the nearest Belarusian and Russian borders in the hopes of making it home.
In response, there are credible reports that paramilitary units of the Russian Interior Ministry, the FSB, Chechens and even Spetnaz units patrolled the rear areas looking for deserters who were being arrested or even shot on the spot bugging out.
But things don’t end there for Ivan. Unfortunately, his younger brother Alexey had also joined the Russian military under a contract. He was also sent to Ukraine without any training. While he tried to get out of his contract also through a termination, Alexey was also threatened with criminal charges for doing so. In the end, they left Russia and joined the fighting in Ukraine.
“They had no training. They are basically recruits. They didn’t run away or abandon the unit; they have been there [to Ukraine] once and do not want to go back. But they talked to them for several hours. I can’t imagine how much pressure that was. All of the boys signed their consent under pressure. We [their parents] were all in shock.”
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