Russian soldiers allegedly punished by own army in this shocking way for 'drinking a little beer'

Russian soldiers who refuse to fight, attempt to desert, or drink too much, are reportedly being punished by their own army. The soldiers are allegedly 'thrown into pits and denied food and water', as reported by The Telegraph.

In a leaked video, several men wearing Russian military combat uniforms sit on the hard floor of a mediaeval-style pit with metal grilles on top as it rains. A Russian soldier named Pavel Gorelov from the 99th Regiment said in the video:

We are in the mud, in the rain, we are all wet. My colleagues’ faces were smashed. All we did was drink a little beer.

Russian soldiers kept in Zindans

A number of the men appear badly hurt, with bloody wounds on their swollen faces and black eyes. One soldier smokes a cigarette but is almost incoherent. Gorelov says in the video:

I’m begging for help from the prosecutor general. You’ve seen these conditions now.

In a second video, a Russian volunteer soldier, Flarit Baitemirov, complains that he has been kept prisoner in an open pit since the end of March. He said:

I am being held captive by my own side, the Russians. I am Russian.

These underground cells called Zindans were utilised by Imperial Russian armies to keep prisoners in Central Asia.

They were known for being overcrowded and plagued by disease. Exposed to the elements, being able to see the outside world through the grille would send prisoners mad, according to The Telegraph.

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Infighting among Russian troops

It's not the first time such revelations have come to light. In July 2022, Daily Mail reported that Russian soldiers who refuse to fight are thrown into 'torture pits'.

It comes amid reports of infighting between Russian troops and the Wagner Group. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an update on Sunday 23 April:

With no significant achievements on the battlefield, the Russian Armed Forces and 'Wagner Group' PMC are increasingly attempting to find someone to blame for the defeats.

They shift the responsibility for their own tactical miscalculations and losses suffered onto each other. As a result, a fight between Russian Armed Forces and PMC Wagner mercenaries broke out in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska (Luhansk oblast) recently.

According to the General Staff, the fight allegedly led to a shootout, killing an unspecified number of soldiers on both sides. When the apparent fight occurred and how many soldiers died is not known, and Newsweek could not independently verify Ukraine's claims.

Sources used:

The Telegraph: 'Russian soldiers beg for help as own army throws them into pit'

Daily Mail: 'Russian soldiers who refuse to participate in Ukraine war 'are being held in torture pits''

Newsweek: 'Russian Soldiers and Wagner Mercenaries Start Fighting Each Other: Report'