In its own video, the Russian Ministry of Defense shows how the recruitment campaign for soldiers is going on. The message in this advertisement is unambiguous - to demonstrate that the army in Russia is a modern employer, writes the German public media ZDF.
Glamorous propaganda campaign for mobilization
The advertisement features a young man named Artyom and explains that military service has been a kind of family tradition for generations - his father and grandfather were also in the army. Films like this aim to do just that - to show that military service and the fight for the fatherland are an integral part of Russian traditions. And everyone has to contribute.
The Russian Defense Ministry is actively recruiting soldiers, and propaganda about the army appears on all channels to attract young Russians to the cause. "Anyone can be a soldier, anyone can become a hero and achieve great things," the videos suggest. But the glittering world of propaganda videos about the heroic army is far from reality, writes ZDF.
Thousands of letters of complaint from Russian citizens
Russian soldiers who deserted from the front rarely talk to journalists. However, tens of thousands of letters of complaint from soldiers have become public knowledge after they appeared online as a result of a technical glitch. These letters reveal the attitude of the Russian army towards its soldiers.
A new documentary by the British public broadcaster BBC also shows how brutal the Russian army really is. Soldiers tell of severe abuse, torture and numerous murders carried out by the command staff.
"Your fate depends entirely on the commander"
“Your fate depends entirely on the commander. He orders you over the radio: shoot this one, and that one too!“, says a soldier in the film, who does not give his real name for fear of his safety, but reveals how his superiors regularly humiliated him. “They used me as a toilet”, the man explains and admits that his commander invited other soldiers to urinate on him.
This former soldier was a teacher of autistic children before being sent to the front, ZDF reports. He was mobilized against his will in 2024, when he underwent basic military training along with 78 other recruits. All of them were already dead by then, says the man in the film. He was also supposed to take part in an attack from which he probably would not have returned alive, but managed to escape before that.
Violence and harassment are not isolated cases
In its aggressive war, Russia has suffered many human casualties. Ukraine reports about around 30,000 enemy soldiers killed or seriously injured per month. Russians colloquially call the front the “meat grinder“. And anyone who refuses to carry out an order from their commander is in danger of death, explains ZDF.
Human rights defender and activist Grigory Sverdlin has been taking care of Russian deserters living in exile for years. His organization also helps Russians escape from the army. According to him, the incidents that the soldiers talk about in the BBC documentary are not isolated cases. "This is in no way discouraged by superiors. On the contrary, it is encouraged. The principle is this - "beat your own so that others are afraid," says Sverdlin.
The concept of "hazing" is well known to everyone in the Russian army and has deep historical roots. It refers to the common practice of harassing and abusing recruits. However, during the war in Ukraine, this phenomenon has acquired new dimensions.
Videos of humiliation and harassment on "Telegram"
Dozens of videos of commanders humiliating and harassing their subordinates in the Russian army can be found on the messaging app "Telegram". For example, there is a known punishment in which soldiers who have not carried out an order are left tied to a tree for hours in winter. There are also numerous reports of commanders extorting money from their subordinates.
The brutal treatment of one's own soldiers has a long history in the Russian army, writes ZDF. Especially during World War II, when Stalin took drastic measures to stop the Red Army's retreat and issued the legendary Order 227, known as "Not a step back!". In practice, this meant that any soldier who tried to escape was shot by his own men.
"There is no respect for human life"
According to Grigory Sverdlin, the poor treatment of soldiers is a tradition in the Russian army. "There is no respect for human life and human dignity - alas, the Russian army has almost always fought like this", he told the German public media.
Every month Russia loses thousands of young men on the front in Ukraine, and many of the recruits who are about to be sent to this war will also be killed - by the enemy or by their own commanders.
Author: Sebastian Em ZDF