The wreckage of a fighter plane burns after the crash near Yenakiyeve in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region.
Image: dpa
In a video, Russian reservists ask Vladimir Putin to see the situation in eastern Ukraine for himself. Commanders would send unprepared units to the first front line.
In a new video appeal, Russian reservists in the war zone in eastern Ukraine have complained about grievances in the troops and called on Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin for help. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Putin should ensure that the commanders do their job, said a hooded spokesman in the video message recorded on Saturday and distributed on the Telegram news channel. A total of a dozen uniformed men can be seen on the video – also with no recognizable faces. The group’s spokesman complained about the lack of equipment and lack of leadership from the commanders.
“We know that we are not the only ones who make such a request,” said the man “in the Donetsk region”. Putins should not take care of the situation on paper, but on the spot, he demands. Putin has not yet visited the troops in the combat zone – unlike Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who made isolated visits to the front.
“The leadership of our regiment has no dialogue with us”
The Russian spokesman complained that there was a lack of equipment, including night vision devices, to carry out combat tasks. Other fighters, wives, mothers and sisters of soldiers had also complained about abuses in public messages.