At least 60 Russian paratroopers have reportedly staged a mutiny and refused to fight in Ukraine.
The ‘elite unit’ was from a key airbase in Pskov, northern Russia.
When they refused to fight the troops are understood to have been withdrawn to Belarus, from where they were then sent back to Pskov in disgrace.
Most of the unit has been fired, while others are facing criminal charges, the Pskovskaya Guberniya, an independent newspaper in Pskov has reported.
Those facing criminal charges will be subject to the Russian equivalent of a court-martial and will most likely be handed jail sentences.
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu is reported to have sent one of his deputies to Pskov to handle the insubordination.
Ukraine has claimed the 60 or so troops were elite paratroopers but this has not been independently verified.
The servicemen are however understood to have hailed from Pskov, a key base for one of Russia’s most elite airborne units.
Pskovskaya Guberniya reported: ‘About 60 servicemen from Pskov refused to go to war on Ukrainian territory, according to our sources.
‘After the first days of the war, they were first brought to the Republic of Belarus, and then they returned to their base in Pskov.
‘Most of them are currently being dismissed, but some are threatened with criminal cases.’
The mutiny is the latest of several cases of Russian troops refusing to obey Vladimir Putin’s orders to invade Ukraine.
An earlier captive Russian soldier from Pskov, Vladimir Safronov, 23, told his Ukrainian interrogators about problems with rations, and how his officers were looting civilian homes.
‘Things are bad with food, we are constantly saving it,’ he said.
‘Very often we have a situation that a ration for one person is shared between two people.
‘We are eating mostly what we find inside [civilian] houses [in occupied Ukraine].
‘There is a lot of looting, I’ve personally seen it,’ he said.
‘I don’t support it, it was mainly senior sergeants and the commander who did it.
‘I saw civilians who were hiding, people who were unable to evacuate, who lived in constant fear.
‘I felt awfully sorry for them, it was scary to find them.’
In March, a Russian commander was killed by his own troops who ran him over with a tank.
Colonel Medvechek, commanding the Russian 37th Motor Rifle Brigade, is believed to have been deliberately mown down due to the number of casualties suffered by his unit.
The incident came after reports of elite OMON special forces from Khakassia refusing to take up arms and troops from unofficial statelet South Ossetia allegedly returning to their homes on foot after refusing to fight.
Russia-Ukraine war: Everything you need to know
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the country has suffered widespread damages and loss of life amid a major bombing campaign.
Millions of people have fled the country, with thousands of British people opening up their homes to Ukrainian refugees.
During the course of the war, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained in Kyiv, despite the Ukrainian capital being subjected to a barrage of bombing.
Zelensky has continuously pushed for aid and support from world leaders, as well as pressing for fast-tracked NATO membership.
Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has been widely condemned for his attack on Ukraine.
His actions have been met by harsh economic sanctions, bans from competing in major sporting events, and countries moving away from using Russian oil.
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- Does Russia have any allies and what have they said about Ukraine?
- What is NATO and which countries are members?
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- How to cope with World War Three anxiety
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