Russian soldiers tell BBC they saw commanders order fellow troops’ killing
Russian soldiers revealed the brutality of conditions on the Russian side of the front lines in Ukraine; Two men told the BBC they saw their commanders execute soldiers for refusing orders.
The fleeing men described the horrors they witnessed from an undisclosed location outside Russia in the documentary “Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War.”
Ilya, 35, was teaching children with special needs before he was drafted into the war. He says he saw four men shot at point-blank range by a commander (an action known in Russian military slang as Resetting) for running away from the front line and refusing to return.
The men told us that resetting was often done as punishment for refusing orders and was used as a tool of intimidation for others considering doing the same thing.
Dima, who witnessed the executions, said it was “a normal thing” for commanders to kill their own men.
“I see; only two metres, three metres. Only murders, just click, knock, bang. This is not a drama, not a movie, it’s real life,” he says.
The Russian government said its armed forces “worked with as much restraint as possible under conditions of high-intensity conflict and showed the utmost care for its personnel.” “Information regarding the alleged violations and crimes is being duly investigated,” the statement said. “We cannot independently verify the accuracy or authenticity of the information you provided,” it said.
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