Russian army chiefs execute and torture soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine

According to an investigation done by Russian media outlet Verstka, superiors are delibaretly sending their soldiers on death missions or sending drones to "finish" them off.

Russian commanders are executing and sending soldiers to their deaths if they refuse to fight in Ukraine, finds a newly published investigation by independent outlet Verstka. Using testimonies by serving soldiers, relatives of the dead, complaint records, and leaked videos, 101 Russian servicemen have been accused of murdering, torturing, or fatally punishing their own comrades. 150 deaths caused by such behavior have been verified since the outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine in 2022.

The Kremlin vehementy denies such claims. Verstka cited testimonies from soldiers who said commanders had appointed “execution shooters” to open fire on refusers and later dump their bodies in rivers or shallow graves, registering them as killed in action.

Other accounts describe commanders using drones and explosives to “finish off” wounded or retreating soldiers. In several cases, officers allegedly ordered drone operators to drop grenades on their own men, disguising the killings as battlefield strikes.

Furthermore, the investagtion reveals the even more gruesome stories of torture: Troops who disobeyed orders were reportedly thrown into pits covered with metal grates, doused with water and beaten for hours or even days. In rare instances, the soldiers were supposedly forced to fight to death in gladiator-style battles.

One such case appeared in a video circulated in May 2025 by Ukrainian groups monitoring Russian forces. The footage shows two shirtless men in a pit as a voice off-camera says: “Commander Kama basically said whoever beats the other one to death gets out of the pit.”

The men begin to fight as the voice continues to taunt them – “Finish him off already, what are you waiting for?” – until one collapses motionless on the ground.

The investigation also details instances of troops being dispatched on suicide missions. It reveals situations where Russian soldiers were intentionally used as “mayachki”, or beacons, instructed to advance in front of assault groups without equipment to attract enemy fire.

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