‘Refusing
to kill their own’: Over 40 Ukrainian soldiers flee to Russia
RT,
27
July, 2014
More
than 40 Ukrainian soldiers have abandoned their military posts and
crossed into Russian territory, stating that they refuse to fight
against their own people, a Russian Federal Security Service
spokesperson said.
At
least 41 Ukrainian soldiers have made it to Russian territory after
asking self-defense forces for help, the spokesperson from the
Federal Security Service’s Rostov region border patrol unit, Vasily
Malaev, told Itar-Tass.
"At
around 20:30 Moscow time, 41 Ukrainian soldiers left their military
bases and arrived at the Ukrainian border crossing checkpoint
Izvarino. They appealed to the militia there for help to with cross
into the Russian territory, in connection with the fact that they do
not want to fight against their own people,”
Malaev said.
All of the soldiers were able to cross into
Russia at the Donetsk checkpoint, the spokesperson
added.
Meanwhile, a Russian hospital near the Ukrainian
border has been treating wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Some of them
have expressed their unwillingness to fight for the Ukrainian army,
blaming mobilization laws for forcing them to do so.
“I
wouldn’t want to. We don’t know who we are fighting. I have no
animosity towards Russians. I am not a nationalist, I am not Right
Sector,”
Ivan, a Ukrainian soldier, told RT.
“What
right do they have to make us fight? I was mobilized, I received
wounds to my hands and now I have to go and fight again with
cardboard equipment. They reuse old ammunition and make money off us.
The country is falling apart, but for them everything is fine,” he
added.
Another
soldier questioned the purpose of the military offensive, adding that
it is not even clear who the enemy is.
“It is all so confusing, who is fighting who and how and what for isn’t clear. Who are these separatists? What do they look like? We don’t know,” Ukrainian soldier Sergey said.
Two other Ukrainian soldiers – major and senior warrant officers – were also among those who fled to Russia and said they intend to apply for Russian citizenship, according to Malaev.
Ukrainian soldiers claim that high-ranking officers rarely come to the frontline, and when they do they try to leave as soon as possible – preferably before dark – RT’s Roman Kosarev reported from Donetsk.
“Millions of dollars have already been spent by Kiev on its punitive action against those they call terrorists. While the country’s leadership ordered yet another mobilization round of its citizens into active armed forces...morale of the soldiers on the ground and the collapsing parliament could become a barrier for their operation target,” Kosarev added.
“It is all so confusing, who is fighting who and how and what for isn’t clear. Who are these separatists? What do they look like? We don’t know,” Ukrainian soldier Sergey said.
Two other Ukrainian soldiers – major and senior warrant officers – were also among those who fled to Russia and said they intend to apply for Russian citizenship, according to Malaev.
Ukrainian soldiers claim that high-ranking officers rarely come to the frontline, and when they do they try to leave as soon as possible – preferably before dark – RT’s Roman Kosarev reported from Donetsk.
“Millions of dollars have already been spent by Kiev on its punitive action against those they call terrorists. While the country’s leadership ordered yet another mobilization round of its citizens into active armed forces...morale of the soldiers on the ground and the collapsing parliament could become a barrier for their operation target,” Kosarev added.
Another
soldier questioned the purpose of the military offensive, adding that
it is not even clear who the enemy is.
“It
is all so confusing, who is fighting who and how and what for isn’t
clear. Who are these separatists? What do they look like? We don’t
know,”
Ukrainian soldier Sergey said.
Two other Ukrainian
soldiers – major and senior warrant officers – were also among
those who fled to Russia and said they intend to apply for Russian
citizenship, according to Malaev.
Ukrainian soldiers claim
that high-ranking officers rarely come to the frontline, and when
they do they try to leave as soon as possible – preferably before
dark – RT’s Roman Kosarev reported from Donetsk.
“Millions
of dollars have already been spent by Kiev on its punitive action
against those they call terrorists. While the country’s leadership
ordered yet another mobilization round of its citizens into active
armed forces...morale of the soldiers on the ground and the
collapsing parliament could become a barrier for their operation
target,”
Kosarev added.
Ukraine's
parliament, the Verkhovnaya Rada, approved this week a presidential
decree authorizing the limited mobilization of army reserves and
material, which will be used to reinforce units fighting in the east
of the country. This was part of the Ukrainian president’s peace
plan, which involves a unilateral ceasefire by government forces in
eastern Ukraine.
On Friday, mothers and wives of Ukrainian
soldiers sent to fight in eastern Ukraine kneeled during a
demonstration, asking President Petro Poroshenko to end the military
offensive.
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