Russian soldiers - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

Dozens detained in Moscow at rally of Russian soldiers’ wives, rights group says

DOZENS of people were detained by police in central Moscow at a rally protesting against Russia's mobilisation of men to fight in Ukraine, a human rights group said. At least 27 people were detained as a group representing the wives of mobilised soldiers gathered at the Kremlin wall to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument, said OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia. Most of the detained were journalists, it added, saying later that some of the people were let go. Several people were also detained at other locations in central Moscow, OVD-Info said.…

Jun

2023

By VITALII HNIDYI

Russian soldiers’ corpses line road into liberated Ukrainian village

WORLD

THE road into the newly liberated Ukrainian village of Storozheve is lined with the corpses of Russian soldiers and burnt-out armoured vehicles. The grisly scenes bear witness to the ferocity of fighting as Ukrainian troops recaptured Storozheve and several other villages in the past few days as part of a counteroffensive in southern and eastern Ukraine. Some of the dead Russian soldiers lay on the dusty ground beside the husks of their vehicles when Reuters journalists reached the village on Wednesday. Others were crumpled in the grass and fields nearby where they died. Inside the village, the small one-storey houses that line…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Kyiv compares Russia to Islamic State after beheading video

WORLD

UKRAINE compared Russia to Islamic State and called on the International Criminal Court to investigate after a video emerged online showing apparent Russian soldiers filming themselves beheading a Ukrainian captive with a knife. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity or provenance of the video on social media, which showed a man in uniform beheading a man who wears the yellow arm band used by Ukrainian soldiers. The Kremlin described the video as "awful" but said its authenticity needed to be checked. Moscow has denied in the past that its troops carry out atrocities during the conflict. "There is something…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Soldiers’ widows group calls on Putin to order major mobilisation for Ukraine war

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE A little-known patriotic group which supports the widows of Russian soldiers has called on President Vladimir Putin to order a large-scale mobilisation of millions of men and to close the borders to ensure victory in Ukraine. Putin, Russia's 70-year-old paramount leader, is under intense pressure to deliver victory in Ukraine more than 10 months since he sent troops as part of an operation he says was intended to defend Russians in eastern Ukraine. "We ask our President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, to allow the Russian Army to carry out a large-scale mobilisation," the Soldiers' Widows of Russia group said…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Russia’s war on Ukraine latest: Russian anger grows over deadly strike

WORLD

RUSSIAN nationalists and some lawmakers have demanded punishment for commanders they accused of ignoring dangers as anger grew over the killing of dozens of Russian soldiers in one of the Ukraine war's deadliest strikes. DIPLOMACY * Some protesters in Germany, online and on the streets, are calling on Berlin to reconsider its support for Ukraine, tapping into deep connections between Germany and Russia, with a legacy of Soviet ties to Communist east Germany and decades of German dependency on Russian gas. * French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed on Tuesday that Ukraine "needs our support more than ever", as he hosted Sweden's Prime…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Some Russian soldiers in Ukraine unhappy with top brass, Girkin says

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE SOME Russian officers fighting in Ukraine are unhappy with the military top brass and President Vladimir Putin because of the poor execution of the war, an influential nationalist Russian blogger said after visiting the conflict zone. Nearly 10 months since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine, there is no end in sight to the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. In modern Russia, direct public criticism of Putin is rare though nationalist bloggers have been outspoken about the conduct of the war, especially the costly Russian defeats in Ukraine's Kharkiv region in September. Igor Girkin, a nationalist…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Ukraine forces retake areas north of Kyiv as Russians look eastward

WORLD

JAMES MACKENZIE UKRAINIAN forces were advancing into areas north of Kyiv littered with debris and destroyed Russian tanks as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused departing Russian soldiers of leaving behind mines. Ukrainian presidential adviser Okeksiy Arestovych said Ukrainian troops had retaken more than 30 towns and villages in the region since Russia announced this week it would scale down operations around the capital to focus on battles in the east. British military intelligence said Russian troops had abandoned Hostomel airport in a northwestern suburb of the capital, where there had been fighting since the first day of the invasion. In…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Britain’s GCHQ spy chief says Russian soldiers refused to carry out orders in Ukraine

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE THE head of Britain's GCHQ spy service said on Wednesday that new intelligence showed some Russian soldiers in Ukraine had refused to carry out orders, sabotaged their own equipment and accidentally shot down one of their own aircraft. Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) chief Jeremy Fleming said President Vladimir Putin had "massively misjudged" the capabilities of Russia's once mighty armed forces while underestimating both the resistance of the Ukrainian people and the resolve…