Russian Soldiers Break Silence on Battlefield Executions

When Ilya taught children with special needs in the Ural Mountains, he never imagined he'd witness his commanding officer execute four fellow soldiers at point-blank range. "I knew them," he recalls. "I remember one of them screaming 'Don't shoot, I'll do anything!' but he zeroed them anyway."

For the first time, Russian soldiers are speaking on record about executions within their own ranks—a brutal reality that exposes the collapse of military discipline on Russia's front lines in Ukraine.

The Testimonies: Four Voices from Hell

Four Russian soldiers, now in hiding outside Russia, have provided the BBC with unprecedented accounts of systematic brutality within their own military. Their testimonies reveal a war machine that devours its own as readily as it sends men to die.

Ilya, the former special needs teacher, was mobilized in May 2024 alongside 78 other men from Perm. He became the sole survivor of his group. As someone tasked with identifying and counting dead soldiers, he witnessed the horror from a unique vantage point.

Dima, a Moscow dishwasher repairman, was grabbed off the street by police in October 2022. Despite having no medical training, he became a paramedic to avoid killing. Instead, he watched his commander—later awarded Russia's highest medal—execute soldiers who refused orders.

The accounts span different units and time periods, yet they tell remarkably consistent stories of "zeroing"—Russian military slang for executing your own troops.

The Meat Storm Strategy

These executions serve a specific purpose within Russia's broader military strategy. Russian troops call their assault tactics "meat storms"—waves of soldiers sent relentlessly across front lines to exhaust Ukrainian ammunition and drones.

"You send three guys, then another three. It didn't work out, send 10. It didn't work out with 10, send 50," Dima explains. "Eventually you will break through. That's the logic of the military."

The UK Ministry of Defence estimates that 900-1,500 Russians are killed or wounded daily in 2025, with total casualties exceeding 1.2 million since the invasion began. Dima's regiment alone lost 200 men in three days during their first meat storm.

Those who refuse face a grim choice: execution or torture followed by deployment without weapons. Ilya describes soldiers being "starved for days" and electrocuted before being sent into battle unarmed.

The Commanders Who Kill

The soldiers name specific commanders, including Alexei Ksenofontov, who was made a "Hero of Russia" in 2024—the same year Dima watched him execute fellow troops.

Families of soldiers killed in Ksenofontov's unit have appealed directly to Putin, writing: "They defended our Motherland with honor and pride!!! But in reality, they found themselves in the gang of these commanders, who received awards for tens of thousands of dead and missing!"

The breakdown extends beyond individual brutality. Dima describes witnessing 20 ex-convicts shot by commanders who then stole their bank cards. "It's not a problem to write off someone. You just make up a report," he says.

The Human Cost of Silence

Ilya's torture exemplifies the dehumanization: tied to a tree, beaten, and urinated on by his commander, who declared him the unit's "new toilet." After being untied, Ilya attempted suicide.

Denis, another soldier, had teeth knocked out for refusing to search for a missing drone. The systematic nature of abuse suggests these aren't isolated incidents but institutional practices designed to maintain control through terror.

Video evidence supports their claims. Ilya shows footage of three soldiers crouching in a pit, being fed grain like animals while their captor mocks them: "Look how it's eating."

International Implications

These testimonies arrive as international pressure mounts on Russia over war crimes allegations. The accounts provide rare insider evidence of systematic brutality that extends beyond civilian targets to Russia's own military personnel.

The Russian government maintains its forces "operate with utmost restraint" and that "information regarding alleged violations and crimes is duly investigated." However, these testimonies suggest a military structure where murder has become routine discipline.

For international observers, the accounts raise questions about military effectiveness when soldiers fear their commanders more than the enemy. They also highlight the challenge of prosecuting war crimes when the perpetrators control the evidence.