Russian soldiers stationed on the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula by Russia have deserted and, in the process, beat their commander to death. This was reported by the German news platform merkur.de.
The soldiers were part of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Army in the south. In connection with their desertion, they inflicted such severe injuries on the deputy regimental commander that he later succumbed to his injuries. Merkur.de refers to several independent media sources that rely on information from the Ukrainian intelligence service. The 20th Motorized Rifle Division is stationed in Crimea. The exact reason for the desertion is not yet known, but it could include the sometimes inhumane conditions in the Russian army. There have been repeated instances of officers mistreating subordinates to enforce obedience.
These claims have not yet been independently verified and/or confirmed. Therefore, they should be considered with caution. In war, it can be advantageous for conflicting parties to deliberately spread false information to strengthen their own position or weaken that of the enemy.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (2022-10-10), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)
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