New allegations have emerged detailing severe mistreatment of Russian soldiers by their own commanders, including accusations of beatings, electrocution, mutilation, and being sent into combat without adequate supplies. These claims, highlighted by Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov, reportedly stem from soldiers within Russia's 36th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, part of the Vostok group.
Disturbing footage has circulated online, allegedly depicting troops tied to trees with adhesive tape, and another soldier forced to dig a pit significantly deeper than his own height. In one particularly graphic alleged incident, a commander is accused of using cutters to sever a soldier's finger, then throwing the severed digit at him and instructing him to drink urine from a cup. This footage and the accompanying allegations have not been independently verified amid the ongoing conflict, and the exact timing and location of the clips remain unclear.
Soldiers from the implicated unit allegedly complained of unofficial "penal battalions" where severe punishments were meted out for minor infractions. According to these accounts, troops faced the risk of being sent into combat without ammunition, or subjected to physical abuse including beatings and electric shocks. Scars are reportedly common among some soldiers, and wounded or maimed individuals are allegedly sent into battle without support.
Four alleged victims were named in the report: Vasily Vasilyevich Ivansky, Yevgeny Andreyevich Fomishin, Alexey Olegovich Chebotaryov, and Anton Vitalyevich Yefimov. Ivansky was specifically mentioned as having had his fingers cut off. Some of the named individuals are reported to have been killed, while others' fates are unknown. A person matching Ivansky's name appears in Russian public debt records.
Attempts by soldiers or their families to report these abuses within the chain of command were allegedly blocked. The complaints reportedly identified a brigade commander named Karayev, referred to by some soldiers as "The Butcher." This commander has been previously accused of forcing subordinates to kill wounded Russian soldiers or those who refused to participate in assaults.
Further footage attributed to the 85th Motorized Rifle Brigade allegedly shows a soldier at the bottom of a deep pit, being berated by an unseen commander and ordered to continue digging. Social media accounts circulating this footage claimed that soldiers from the 85th Brigade had repeatedly sought help regarding extortion and mistreatment.
Reports of Russian commanders imprisoning soldiers, beating those who refuse orders, and deploying poorly equipped units into assaults have been recurrent during the war. Similar videos alleging brutal punishments of Russian troops by their own commanders on the front lines have emerged previously. In March, footage reportedly showed commanders beating, electrocuting, denying food to, and forcing troops into combat without adequate preparation or supplies. Some accounts from earlier in the year described executions of Russian soldiers for refusing orders or fleeing the front line, alongside descriptions of torture methods.
These allegations surface as Russian forces have faced significant Ukrainian attacks. On Monday, a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, in Russia's Tatarstan region, reportedly killed 13 Russians and wounded 39 others. This attack, which targeted one of Russia's more advanced oil facilities, occurred after a weekend of intensified Russian assaults on Ukraine, including a barrage of over 200 missiles and drones, with the coastal city of Odesa bearing significant damage.