A group of soldiers from Russia's 26th Regiment posted a video accusing their commander of concealing unit losses in Ukraine and demanding troop replacements after four months of fighting.
Members of the 2nd Battalion, 26th Regiment of the Russian army, fighting on the Kherson front in southern Ukraine, posted a video on Telegram on November 23, complaining about the combat conditions and the competence of their regimental commander.
In the video, the group of soldiers stated that they were deployed to the village of Krynky on the east bank of the Dnieper River, on the front line in Kherson province, on July 30th, but have not yet been rotated back to the rear despite fighting continuously for nearly four months.
"We were deployed here without ammunition. Each person was only issued 4-6 magazines. Some didn't even have body armor," said a representative of the group of soldiers.
They accused Regiment Commander Aleksandr Petrovich Zladko of submitting a false report on the situation in Krynky, claiming that the situation of the Russian forces was not as optimistic as the information provided by Lieutenant Colonel Zladko.
"From the very beginning, he reported that everything here was fine and we had maintained our strength. In fact, from three companies, we are now down to about 50 men," a representative of the group said. A Russian army company has approximately 150 men.
Members of Russia's 26th Regiment criticize their commander in a video posted on November 23. Video: Telegram/MN
They said they refused to comply with the order, but insisted they would not abandon their positions. "We requested to be rotated to the rear for rest," they said, adding that this message was sent to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the information.
Russian Giatsint-S self-propelled artillery fires on the southern Ukrainian front on May 3. Photo: RIA Novosti
The Dnieper River is a new frontline on the southern front of the counteroffensive launched by Ukraine in June. Measuring 2,200 km in length and 1.5 km in width in some sections, the river is considered a natural bulwark for Russian troops on the eastern bank, allowing them to freely shell enemy targets across the river with minimal risk of retaliation.
On November 17, the Ukrainian army announced it had gained a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, marking a rare major advance in a counteroffensive that had been described as "stalled." Two days later, the forces said they had advanced another 3-8 kilometers on the eastern bank of the river and were continuing to move further inland.
Analysts believe that establishing a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river would give Ukrainian forces a springboard to advance further south and get closer to the Crimean Peninsula.
However, others argue that the bridgehead established by Ukrainian soldiers is too small to allow them to transport heavy equipment across the river, while Russia maintains overwhelming firepower and troop numbers on the eastern bank, making it unlikely that Kyiv can translate this result into a clear breakthrough.
Location of the Dnieper River. Graphic: RYV
Pham Giang (According to Newsweek )
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