A video shared to social media on Sunday purports to show the “grim” conditions that newly drafted Russian soldiers are facing.
The video was shared on Twitter Sunday afternoon by Julia Davis, the creator of the media watchdog group, Russian Media Monitor. In it, an unknown man who was recently drafted into the Russian military claims to face extremely poor conditions at a camp, with theft and sickness rampant.
“Meanwhile in Russia: take a look at the way the newly-mobilized recruits are being treated,” Davis wrote alongside the video. “An unnamed man complains that his shoes, his money, and his mattress got stolen. He says, that’s just the way it is. Everyone got sick, because they are barely heating the tents. Grim.”
Meanwhile in Russia: take a look at the way the newly-mobilized recruits are being treated. An unnamed man complains that his shoes, his money and his mattress got stolen. He says, that’s just the way it is. Everyone got sick, because they are barely heating the tents. Grim. pic.twitter.com/z52jjgXCGn
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) October 16, 2022
Roughly two and a half hours since it was posted, the clip had received nearly 80,000 views.
In the clip, which runs for 90 seconds, the unseen and unnamed soldier offers a first-person look at the camp he has been sent to and shows himself seemingly wearing nothing but socks while outside.
“I don’t have either tennis shoes or tactical boots,” the soldier says near the start of the clip. “Everyone here is from Khanty-Mansiysk. All of our guys, we’re finding our own pathways. Can’t do it any other way.”
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Khanty-Maniysk is a city in western-central Russian and the administrative center of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug region. It is situated along the banks of the Ob and Irtysh Rivers.
The soldier eventually enters a tent that he claims is his living quarters, alongside several other men. He notes that, despite the tent being big enough to house several people, it has only one stove to provide warmth.
“It didn’t help worth a damn,” the soldier says about the oven. “You can hear how raspy my voice is, it’s awful. Half the guys got sick with a cold.”
The man further claims that mattresses have been stolen from his tent, describing theft as the only “way to survive here.” Even stoves are liable to be taken when you walk away from the tent, he explained. His personal belongings, like sneakers and money, have also been stolen. Despite this allegedly rampant theft, superior officers seem to have no interest in helping.
“As the deputy told me, ‘Am I your Mommy or your Daddy? Find it yourself,'” the man continued.
Reports of disorder and chaos among the military ranks have been rampant in Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization to aid the effort in Ukraine, the country’s first since World War II. Not long after the mobilization began, a video surfaced online allegedly showing drunken soldiers asleep while being taken to the front line. Another video, shared by CNN, showed soldiers complaining about their lack of training before being sent to fight.
Newsweek reached out to Russian officials for comment.
