Russian troops have described witnessing the execution of fellow soldiers for refusing to obey orders, in a new BBC documentary. The accounts detail torture, starvation, and electric shocks meted out to men who declined to take part in assaults described as suicide missions.
A former soldier named Dima said he saw comrades executed on the order of a highly decorated commander, Alexei Ksenofontov, who was awarded the title Hero of Russia in 2024. Dima described seeing the bodies of 20 men in a pit after being 'zeroed' – Russian slang for executing one's own. The men were all ex-convicts and had their bank cards taken before being killed.
Another ex-soldier, Ilya, provided a detailed list of 79 men he was mobilised with, of whom he is the only survivor. He personally witnessed four people shot at point-blank range by a commander after they fled the front line. He described being tortured and urinated on, while others were starved and forced into missions unarmed.
The tactics include 'meat storms' – sending waves of men to wear down Ukrainian forces as part of a 'meat grinder' strategy. Dima said his regiment was destroyed in three days, with 200 dead. He was tortured for 72 days, including with electric shocks, for refusing to send his men on such assaults.
The Russian government responded that its armed forces 'operate with utmost restraint' and that alleged violations are investigated, but added it could not verify the accuracy of the information provided.
