A video circulating on social media platform X reportedly shows a Russian soldier being subjected to abuse by his commander for attempting to desert his post. The footage depicts a serviceman in a red dress cowering in a dugout while being repeatedly struck by his commander with a sex toy.
The commander verbally abuses the soldier, referring to him as "our girl," and threatens him with deployment into a "meat storm," a term for the front lines in Ukraine where soldiers are allegedly used as cannon fodder. The commander further threatens that the soldier will be forced to perform sexual acts at gunpoint if he refuses to fight in the dress.
The soldier pleads that he was shot in the hand, but the commander dismisses the injury as a "scratch."
This incident appears to align with a pattern of documented mistreatment of Russian troops by their commanders for infractions such as refusing orders, abandoning posts, or prolonged sick leave. In July, similar footage emerged showing two Russian soldiers being beaten for threatening to complain about conditions on the front lines. In that incident, the soldiers were stripped to their underwear, with their hands tied above their heads, and struck with a stick.
Previous reports also include a May video of a soldier wrapped in cling film and suspended upside down from a tree while being slapped by his commander, with other soldiers heard laughing. The victim was encased in a cocoon-like shell of cling film.
Russia is reportedly experiencing high casualty rates in Ukraine. According to the CIA, AI-powered drones have significantly reduced the average life expectancy of Russian recruits on the battlefield. Estimates suggest Russia is losing up to 7,000 troops per week, with a cumulative total of approximately 1.4 million Russian soldiers killed, wounded, or missing since the full-scale invasion in early 2022, according to a Centre for Strategic & International Studies estimate. Neither Russia nor Ukraine publicly releases official casualty figures.
Russian forces have faced challenges advancing along the front lines, with Ukrainian drones reportedly accounting for a significant percentage of destroyed Russian targets. In response, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian infrastructure supporting the war effort, targeting refineries, oil terminals, and warehouses.