The Kremlin’s justification for invading Ukraine “is a lie”, he told CNN a Russian paratrooper who has publicly condemned his country’s war in Ukraine.
Two weeks ago, Pavel Filatyev spoke out against the conflict in a 141-page testimony posted on his VKontakte social network page, known as VK, after he fled Russia. He is the first member of the Russian army to publicly criticize the invasion of Ukraine and leave the country.
According to his report to CNN, his comrades are tired, hungry and disillusioned – and the Kremlin war effort is “destroying peaceful lives”.
“We understand that we have been dragged into a serious conflict, where we are simply destroying cities and not releasing anyone,” Filatyev said. THE CNN is not disclosing the location of the interview for the safety of the interviewee.
“Many have understood that we don’t see the reason our government is trying to explain to us. That it’s all a lie,” he said. “We are just destroying peaceful lives. This fact greatly influenced our state of mind. That feeling that we’re not doing anything good.”
Filatyev, 33, told CNN that “corruption” and repression are rife in his home country and said his unit, which is based in Crimea and was established in Ukraine after Russian troops entered the city of Kherson at the start of the conflict, was poorly equipped. and received little explanation of the invasion.
According to Filatyev, the soldiers and their commanders did not know what they were supposed to do in Ukraine. He added that once they arrived in Kerson they became disillusioned with the government’s reasons for the invasion after facing resistance from local residents who did not want to be “released”.
The paratrooper served in Russia’s 56th Air Assault Regiment and was also involved in efforts to capture the town of Mykolaiv. He was pulled from the front lines because of an injury during invasion operations into Ukrainian territory.
Filatyev told CNN that the Russian army lacked basic equipment such as drones and other types of unmanned aircraft during its time on the front lines.
“Our barracks are about 100 years old and are not able to house all our military personnel. […] all of our weapons are from the Afghan era,” he said.
“Several days after we surrounded Kherson, many of us had no food, water or sleeping bags,” he said. “As it was very cold at night, we couldn’t even sleep. We found some garbage bags, some rags, just to wrap ourselves up to keep us warm”.
The siege and capture of the city of Kherson was a significant early military success for Russia. Ukraine is now struggling to reclaim the city as fighting moves further and further south.
But Filatyev said he struggled to understand the vision of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the six-month-old invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday. The military said Putin saw his troops trapped in a grueling and costly conflict.
“Now that I’m out of there and without a gun, I think this is the worst and stupidest thing our government could have done,” he said. “I don’t know where the government is taking us. What is the next step? Nuclear war?”.
“I see what is happening to my country and I am terrified. Everything is destroyed, corrupted.” CNN . “The only laws that work well are repressive ones.”
Filatyev fled Russia after conducting some initial media interviews. But he suggested that the Kremlin could take revenge for his public exposure.
“Either I will be put in prison or they will simply silence me by ‘erasing’ me. There have been many cases like this in the past. I don’t see any other way out. If it happens, it happened.”
says soldier who fled Russia after questioning war
Source: CNN Brasil
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