Wednesday 2 November 2022 07:43 PM Russian conscripts are resorting to 'playing dead on the battlefield' trends now
Russian conscripts are resorting to 'playing dead on the battlefield' as they are sent to fight in Ukraine with poor equipment and insufficient training.
The wife of a Russian man sent to fight in Moscow’s 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment said that her husband and his fellow conscripts pretended to be dead, as they only had machine guns to defend themselves.
He and others are facing court martial after leaving the frontline in Ukraine.
It comes as antidepressant sales in Russia skyrocketed as the miserable reality of Putin's war in Ukraine finally dawns on the public, Western officials said.
Russians spent 70 per cent more on the pills in the first eight months of this year compared to last, even though they spent much of 2021 in Covid lockdowns, figures have shown.
'Russians feel frightened' as the 'catastrophic error' of Vladimir Putin's invasion - including conscription and a tanking economy - begin to hit people's lives, the officials added.
At least 400,000 have fled since Putin announced he would begin drafting people into the army in September, significantly more than the 300,000 he added to his ranks.
Russian conscripts are resorting to 'playing dead on the battlefield' as they are sent to fight in Ukraine with poor equipment and insufficient training. File image of Russian recruits
The wife of a Russian man sent to fight said that her husband and his fellow conscripts pretended to be dead, as they only had machine guns to defend themselves. File image of Russian recruits
Ekaterina said that her 27-year-old husband was trained in trench digging before being moved to the frontline.
She told independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe: 'For many hours they simply lay on the ground and pretended to be dead for one simple reason: they no longer had any weapons other than machine guns.
'There were mortars against them, drones flew over them, if they even moved a finger, then a drone would immediately fly in and destroy them.'
Another wife, Irina, said that her husband, 24, was shelled for 12 hours, with one of his commanders 'torn to pieces' by the attack.
She told the Russian news site that the surviving commander ordered a retreat, before more senior military authorities sent them back to the front line.
'After they refused to return, they were offered new equipment, bulletproof vests, helmets—or a court martial,' the woman told the news outlet.
Vladimir Putin is facing increasing dissent at home as miserable reality of his war dawns on Russians but there is no prospect of him being replaced, Western officials have said
Mobilistion has proved particularly unpopular with some 400,000 Russians fleeing the country rather than sign up while mass protests also broke out (file image)
