Russia soldiers tell BBC they saw fellow troops executed on commanders' orders
Yahoo News Canada • • world
Key Points:
- Four Russian soldiers have revealed on record the brutal conditions on Russia's front lines in Ukraine, including witnessing commanders executing their own men for refusing orders, a practice known as "zeroing."
- Soldiers describe "meat storm" tactics, where waves of troops are sent on near-suicide missions to overwhelm Ukrainian forces, resulting in extremely high casualties and psychological trauma.
- One commander, Alexei Ksenofontov, awarded "Hero of Russia" in 2024, is accused by soldiers and families of ordering executions and causing massive losses, with allegations of brutality and impunity.
- The soldiers also recount torture, starvation, and humiliation for those refusing to fight, including electric shocks, beatings, and being forced into deadly assaults unarmed
