On Thursday, a Russian court ordered the dismissal of more than 100 National Guard officers who refused to be sent to Ukraine, the first official ruling in a case that sheds light on domestic discontent over the war.
The dispute involves about 115 members of the Russian National Guard, an internal security agency separated from the armed forces from the North Caucasus, in what appears to be the largest group of officers who refused to take part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A military court in the Kabardino-Balkaria region ruled on Thursday that the guards “arbitrarily refused to carry out an official task” when they refused to take part in what Russia calls a “special military operation”.
The men appealed their dismissal, but the ruling, which was published on the court’s website, backed the Guards chiefs, saying the men were guilty of “blatant violations.”
The hearing was held behind closed doors for reasons of “military secrecy”.
President Vladimir Putin has never officially declared war on Ukraine or imposed martial law, which means that Russia cannot legally send troops or force anyone to go to fight in Ukraine.
Human rights activists have reported several groups of guardsmen and soldiers who have chosen to risk losing their jobs instead of being sent to Ukraine, where thousands of soldiers are believed to have been killed.
Significant number of refusals
Although the number of Russian soldiers refusing to fight is believed to be significant, Kremlin officials are trying to portray them as isolated cases.
Pavel Chikov, head of the Agora’s association of human rights lawyers, said Russian servicemen in 17 different regions had contacted them since the start of the war after their superiors threatened them with dismissal or criminal charges for refusing to participate. Russia’s military campaign.
In the southern city of Krasnodar, 12 riot police guards were fired after being taken to military exercises in Crimea and disobeying orders to cross the border into Ukraine on the second day of the invasion. By the time their case goes to trial, nine of the men have withdrawn their claims.
In western Russia, about 100 soldiers, most of whom were stationed in Ukraine, refused to return or settle in Ukraine and were subsequently fired.
Several Russian soldiers captured in the first weeks of the invasion said they had not been told where they had been sent and learned they were in Ukraine only when it was too late.
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