Status: 27/09/2023, 12:29 p.m.
By: Marcus Giebel
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Conflicts within the Russian troops? Soldiers from North Ossetia-Alania were allegedly beaten by the military police. (Symbolic image) © IMAGO / SNA
Near the front of the Ukraine war, violence is said to have occurred among Russian troops. A soldier makes serious accusations against Putin's soldiers.
Zaporizhzhia – Vladimir Putin is trying his best to portray the invaded neighboring country as a major enemy in the Ukraine war, against which all forces that hold it with Russia would have to unite. But a video circulating on the Internet suggests that there are also significant tensions among the aggressor's units. The clip is distributed by, among others, Anton Gerashenko, advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior.
Torture among Russian troops in the Ukraine war? Allegations by soldier from North Ossetia-Alania
The video recording is said to show a soldier of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania in the North Caucasus. His name is given as Arsen Temirayev, who is to fight in the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment. In the recording, the soldier claims that he and two comrades from the 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment were beaten and tortured by the Russian military police.
"We were laid face on the ground like pigs. They beat us with rifle butts," Gerashenko quotes the soldier as saying: "I thought the Nazis were on the other side. It turns out that they are among us." The attacks had occurred in Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia region. Temirayev continues: "A military policeman asked me about my nationality. I replied that I was Ossetier." The answer he received was: "You're a fucking idiot. Russia is for Russians."
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The Telegram channel of the volunteer battalions from North Ossetia-Alania also addressed the allegations, referring to Sergei Menjailo, the Putin-appointed president of the almost 8000,<>-square-kilometer republic. According to the report, the background to the attack on Temirayev and the other two soldiers was the alleged testimony of a woman who accused the men of perversion towards their children.
According to the canal operators, commanders confirmed that there had been a conflict between soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the 71st Regiment and the military police of the 70th Regiment.
Meanwhile, the U.S. think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Menjailo had reported the incident to the command of the Southern Military District. The latter informed the commander of the 58th Army and described the incident as unacceptable for any Russian soldier. The US experts add that interethnic tensions in the Russian units at the front could have negative consequences for cohesion and the course of the war from the Russian point of view.
Russia in the Ukraine war: Kadyrov is probably losing prestige - with consequences for son?
One of the sons of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov had recently made headlines. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the seriously ill ruler posted a recording showing Adam Kadyrov beating up a detainee for allegedly burning a Koran. The powerful father and Putin confidant expressly praised the 15-year-old's act.
The ISW now speculates that interethnic tensions in light of the incident could also hurt Kadyrov politically. Tensions between Chechen and non-Chechen officials have been evident for some time. Thus, it is possible that the so-called "bloodhound" could not protect his son from punishment by Russia. (mg)
