‘Advancing is Suicide’: Russian Soldiers Refuse to Fight in Zaporizhzhia Region

Russian servicemembers are refusing to advance in the Zaporizhzhia region, agents of the Ukrainian partisan movement Atesh reported on Monday, Oct. 28.

According to the post, agents from the 1440th Motorized Rifle Regiment stated that certain squads are refusing to go on the offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region. It was reported that the refusers have been arrested by the Russian military police.

An informed Kyiv Post source in Ukraine’s security services said, “in the Zaporizhzhia sector, there is a solid and fortified line of combat engagement.”

“Therefore, advancing there is suicide for the Russians,” the source told Kyiv Post on condition of anonymity, adding that “nobody is advancing there now; they’re just biting each other.”

In response, the Russian military staff intends to deploy new units to the specified sector, replacing those that have retreated with the conscripts. This is occurring amid assurances from the military-political leadership that conscript soldiers will not participate in the so-called “special military operation.” Of course, their words do not inspire confidence among the soldiers.

Russian conscripts play an ambiguous role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Officially, they are not supposed to participate in combat operations, as the Russian military leadership has guaranteed that only contract soldiers are involved in the so-called “special military operation.” However, this does not always reflect reality.

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Conscripts are often used to reinforce units already engaged in combat. This includes replacing losses among contract soldiers.

Many Russian conscripts express dissatisfaction with their deployment to the front, which casts doubt on the military-political leadership’s statements about their exclusion from combat operations. Servicemen who refuse to comply with orders to participate in combat may face consequences such as detention by military police.

Last month, Kyiv Post visited a pre-trial detention center where Russian prisoners of war captured during the Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region are held. A Kyiv Post journalist spoke with Russian army conscripts and Chechen captives, learning about the orders given by the Russian staff, what the captives think about the events in the Kursk region, and more. Additionally, the Russian conscripts shared how they ended up on the front lines and subsequently in Ukrainian captivity.