Fear gripped the ranks of an elite Russian army unit when they were informed in early April to prepare for a second deployment to Ukraine.

During peacetime, the unit was stationed in Russia’s far east. When the conflict began at the end of February, it entered Ukraine via Belarus and engaged in fierce fighting with Ukrainian forces.

“It quickly became evident that not everyone was on board.” “Many of us just did not want to go back,” said Dmitri, a unit member who did not want to be known by his true name. “I want to see my family again — and not in a casket.”

Dmitri, along with eight others, informed his leaders that he would not resume the attack. “They were enraged. “However, they gradually calmed down since there was nothing they could do,” he explained.

He was quickly relocated to Belgorod, a Russian city on the Ukrainian border, where he has remained since. “I served in the army for five years.” My contract will expire in June. “I’ll serve my sentence and then go,” he explained. “I have nothing to be embarrassed of. They couldn’t compel me to go since we aren’t officially at war.”

Dmitri’s unwillingness to fight shows some of the military challenges the Russian army has encountered as a result of the Kremlin’s political choice not to formally declare war on Ukraine, instead referring to the invasion as a “special military operation.”

According to Russian military standards, servicemen who decline to combat in Ukraine face dismissal but are not punished, according to Mikhail Benyash, a lawyer who advises soldiers who select that choice.

Benyash stated that “hundreds and hundreds” of troops had contacted his team seeking guidance on how to avoid being sent to war.

Twelve national guardsmen from Russia’s southern city of Krasnodar were among those sacked after refusing to travel to Ukraine.

“Commanders attempt to frighten their men with prison time if they disagree,” Benyash said, adding that he was not aware of any criminal proceedings against soldiers who refused to battle. “There is no legal basis for launching a criminal investigation if a soldier refuses to combat while on Russian soil.”

As a result, many troops have decided to be dismissed or moved rather than go through “the meat grinder,” he claims.

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