A group of Russian recruits are slaughtered at the front. A part saves itself and retreats. Then the Colonel-General appears and wants to force the men to go back to the front. He holds the pistol to their leader’s head.
Vladimir Putin has deposed Colonel General Alexander Lapin as commander of the Central Military District in the Ukraine war. This was reported by several sources over the weekend. Putin apparently gave in to pressure from the hardliners surrounding Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. It was said again and again that Lapin had gone into hiding. Lapin is too weak.
Shortly after Lapin’s deposition, an anecdote from the war leaked out. The Russian portals “Mediazona” and “Sota” report that on October 13, Lapin put a pistol to the head of a lieutenant. The reason: Dmitry Vodnev had withdrawn from the front with his unit and was not prepared to return there.
Vodnev led the 5th Company of the 423rd Yampolsky Motorized Rifle Regiment. The troop included mostly new recruits who had no medical examination. sent to the front with no prior training and very poor equipment. Namely at a particularly hard-fought front section near Kolomyychikha.
They settled in a tractor camp for days. No food, no electricity, no water. On October 11, the Ukrainians then began a shelling campaign. Several Russian soldiers died in the woods. The soldiers entrenched themselves behind the hangar – but the shelling didn’t stop. Other men died or were wounded.
A soldier from another regiment in the line behind observed the scene: “They were under fire for seven hours. The major told them to hold the hangar. But they left the building. They withdrew and came to us.”
A sergeant told survivors to walk up the road if they “wanted to keep living”. They kept walking, hoping to be picked up by a truck or a tank. In the end they got as far as the Russian controlled town of Svatovo. They were stopped at a gas station just outside the city. No entry into the city. They had to sleep on the curb.
Soldier Nikita Pavlov tells: “There were no officers or commanders here. So we looked for some to get further instructions.” But no one could give them. Vodnev found military police, who in turn informed Colonel-General Lapin.
Lapin drove to the gas station and tried to send the 50 or so survivors back to the front. Soldier Pavlov: “Colonel-General Lapin put a pistol to Lieutenant Vodnev’s head. He said we should go back and insulted us as deserters and traitors.” Vodnev was then taken away by Lapin’s bodyguards.
According to media reports, Vodnev’s father describes what happened next: “The bodyguards tied his hands and threw him face down on the ground. They threatened and insulted him.” Lapin said: “Your family and you should be cursed.”
After that, they brought Vodnev back to the force. He should convince her. But Vodnev said, “I can’t do that.” Again, the whole troupe had to line up. The insults started all over again. “You are traitors to the motherland,” shouted Lapin’s people.
The troops demanded at least something to eat and drink. A Colonel replied, “People like you don’t deserve to eat, drink or sleep.”
Vodnev was taken away. He will probably have to answer in court. The troupe, on the other hand, was tricked into joining the Wagner mercenary group.
