Before his press conference on December 14, Vladimir Putin ordered the capture of Avdijivka.
Among the relatives of Russian soldiers, there is great concern that the compressed time frame will lead to terrible casualty rates among Russia’s mobilized troops, the Kyiv Post reports.
Over 100 relatives have sent pleading letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin. There he is asked, among other things, to deal with the “deliberate destruction” of his own troops fighting in the Avdijivka area.
Ukrainian intelligence sources state for Kyiv Post that Putin ordered his troops to take Avdijivka before a planned press conference on December 14. The maximum time limit is stated to be at the turn of the year.
– They have to show some achievements, says the source.
“Not spared at all”
Since Russia stepped up its offensive in November, Russian commanders have refused to allow their wounded soldiers to leave the battlefield. The Kyiv Post refers to reports showing how they were instead used in suicide-like attacks as cannon fodder.
“They are not spared at all. They collect the remains and then send them back to the raiders,” says the wife of a Russian soldier, in the report.
Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi has previously pointed out the ferocity of the fighting in Avdijivka – and called Russia’s offensive strategy in the area “astoundingly insensitive”.
– Russia has thrown in everything they have without particular finesse or regard for their own soldiers. And according to Ukraine, but also from Russian bloggers, it has meant very large losses, he told TV4 Nyheterna in a previous interview.
More and more Russian soldiers refuse to fight
Recently, there have been reports that Russian soldiers have refused to participate in attacks. Even among Moscow’s forces, the number who want to surrender is expected to have increased significantly, the newspaper writes.
As a result, the Kremlin has resorted to brutal tactics.
IN reports it appears that commanders killed their own wounded soldiers to prevent their capture by Ukrainian forces. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian forces tells the Kyiv Post that the capture of Russian soldiers could speed up the repatriation of its own soldiers.