Another harsh truth has surfaced about what is happening in the army fighting in Ukraine. Commanders of military units and subdivisions are so indifferent to the fate of their subordinates that they punish them using medieval methods. Taking the lives of their subordinates is not a particular problem for them, nor is sadistic torture.
In the spring of 2023, soldiers of the 6th Motorized Rifle Division recorded a video message complaining about their service conditions: heavy losses, broken equipment, poor gear, and lack of evacuation from the battlefield. After the issues were made public, the commander ordered the detention of subordinates who “violated military discipline and refused to obey orders.”
At different times, 19 people were held in the basements of several houses in the Luhansk region. Seven of them were tortured and then taken to the Donetsk region, where they were killed. In the spring of 2024, a criminal case was opened. The case is entirely classified.
However, it is already known that six officers from the division are under investigation. They are accused of torture, unlawful imprisonment, murder, and abuse of power.
Since July 2022, dissenters have been massively thrown into “pits” and “basements” in Ukraine. There, people are beaten, threatened with death, and forcibly taken to the front lines. Now, it is also known that people are being held in torturous conditions without trial and investigation within the Russian Federation. All these are crimes committed by commanders—abuse of power, under Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Previously, there was no information about any officers being punished for such actions. Now, commanders have been given even more power based on what was adopted by the State Duma regarding disciplinary arrests for military personnel in the Special Military Operation zone.
Currently, there are six defendants accused of torture, murder, and mistreatment of soldiers. The Investigative Committee is handling the case, and it may go to trial. However, there are virtually no chances that the accused will receive real sentences for their serious crimes.
The sentences will be minimal, and then they will simply be released. Putin will pardon them, and the sadists will return to the Special Military Operation zone to throw the next conscripts into pits, kill dissenters, or send them on deadly assaults on the ruins of another Ukrainian village—all in the name of the empire.