Russian soldiers are shot for refusing to go into battle: a story from a Ukrainian major.

According to ТСН: The Russian army is facing serious motivation problems among its servicemen. The desire to fight is lost not only by the mobilized and mercenaries but also by officers. To maintain discipline and force soldiers to fight, the command uses harsh methods.

Major Volodymyr Nazarenko, deputy commander of the 4th battalion of the ‘Strength of Freedom’ of the 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, noted that the enemy’s morale is critically low, and the only motivating factor remains the fear of death from their own commanders. The Kremlin views its soldiers, especially mercenaries, as a cheap resource.

‘For the Kremlin, the cheapest resource is their mercenaries, who are lured by large payments. They go into assaults as “cannon fodder”; they have no other choice. For refusing to perform combat missions, they are shot before the ranks,’ Nazarenko said.

The occupiers systematically intimidate new mercenaries to force them to break through the front line. This kind of “motivation” leads many Russian soldiers to choose surrender to Ukrainian captivity as the only way to save their lives.

The difference between propaganda and reality

The major also emphasized the significant difference between what Russian media showcase and the real events at the front. The enemy’s propaganda needs to show some “victories” to maintain myths about the “greatness of the second army in the world.”

However, the actual achievements of the occupiers are extremely insignificant compared to the massive losses they incur daily.

‘Now the occupiers want to present the smallest successes as if they are strength and greatness. However, in reality, this is a big lie,’ the military emphasized.

Despite internal difficulties and demoralization, Nazarenko urges not to fall into euphoria and not to underestimate the threat. The strength and pressure of the Russian army remain high.

The situation at the front remains complicated, as the enemy actively engages significant resources—both human and technical—in an attempt to break through the Ukrainian defenses at any cost.

It has also been reported that a traffic accident involving drunk Russian soldiers of the 88th brigade occurred in occupied Alchevsk. As a result of the accident, the commander of the 136th separate guards motorized rifle brigade of the RF Armed Forces, Erik Selimov, was killed along with three of his subordinates.

This information was confirmed by the head of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov, and the circumstances of the incident were revealed by Ukrainian journalist Denys Kazanskyi.

The events at the front point to deep issues within the Russian army, which in turn affects the overall course of hostilities. The challenges facing the occupiers indicate that despite the propaganda, the situation is, in fact, much more complicated and dangerous than the Kremlin tries to present. Therefore, Ukrainian forces must remain vigilant, as the enemy does not stop in its fight for its goals.