Russian Army scandal: Soldier's courageous stand leads to brutal assault

A scandal has erupted in the Russian army. A mobilized soldier refused to participate in the assault and requested a transfer to civil service. In response, his commander punished him severely by beating him and tying him to a tree. The incident came to light thanks to human rights advocates.

As detailed by the human rights group "Movement of Conscious Objection" (DSO), mobilized soldiers Giennadij and Siemion Kiskorow submitted applications in late November to substitute their military service with civil service. However, the battalion command rejected their requests, stating such a procedure for mobilized individuals "is not provided for by law".

"Due to religious convictions, they requested a transfer to alternative civil service, but their commander declined. Both brothers are soldiers in the 1st battalion of motorized riflemen of military unit number 21005 stationed in the Donetsk region," reports the Astra channel.

Upon returning from the hospital, Giennadij refused to take part in combat action. "That's when the officer beat him and ordered him tied to a tree. A ransom of 50-100 thousand rubles was demanded for his release. At times, handcuffs were nailed to the tree to prevent the prisoner from sitting down," which was established by the Russian edition of Radio Svoboda. It further alleges that Giennadij was treated in this way over a period of several days.

After spending a night in such conditions, Giennadij was forced to ask the command to be sent to the front. The incident gained attention when Giennadij's brother posted a dramatic account and recording on the VKontakte social network, also speaking to human rights advocates about the event.

Subsequently, as we learned, Siemion "deleted all posts from his page and ceased responding to journalists". Authorities summoned the brothers and insisted they write statements claiming that it was Ukrainian soldiers, not Russians, who tied Giennadij to the tree.

Siemion was also compelled to delete all network posts and phone recordings. He urged his wife to retract her testimonies in the case, alleging it was all part of "the influence of Ukrainians and foreign agents," according to human rights activists.

This incident of soldier mistreatment provides further evidence of the punitive measures employed by the Russian command. Astra has previously reported on the torture of Russian soldiers or their confinement in "basements for refusers" for weeks on end.