Author of the article: Financial Times Polina Ivanova in London Date of publication: 02 Apr 2022 • 3 hours ago • 4 minutes reading • 11 comments The Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin and the Cathedral of St. Basil in the center of Moscow on March 22, 2022. (Photo by AFP)
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After Mikhail Benyash, a Russian lawyer, said he would defend a group of national guardsmen who refused to take part in the war in Ukraine, he was flooded with calls from all over the country.
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“A lot of people do not want to go to war,” Benias said by telephone from the southern city of Krasnodar, adding that about 1,000 people had contacted his team as it continues the first court case that officially reveals the dispute. within the ranks of the Russian security forces for the invasion. The 12 national guardsmen who were fired after refusing to go to Ukraine were members of Rosgvardia, a militarized force separate from the army set up in 2016 to maintain public order and fight crime. The guards were deployed before the invasion of occupied Crimea for military exercises, according to Pavel Tsikov, head of Agora, a Russian human rights group. The day after the start of the war on February 24, they were ordered to cross into Ukraine but refused, Tsikov wrote on his Telegram channel.
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The men argued that the order was illegal: they were not soldiers, but members of an internal force whose duties did not extend beyond Russia. Many people do not want to go to war Michael Benyash “The refusal to carry out the order was explained by its illegality,” Tsikov wrote, adding that “their immediate duties were limited to the territory of the Russian Federation.” No one was informed that he was sent to “Ukrainian territory to take part in a special military operation, for the tasks and conditions of this operation and, therefore, did not consent to it,” he added. The case is compounded by reports of growing dissatisfaction with Russian forces, with Western military officials pointing to low morale and alleged acts of sabotage. Admiral Tony Radakin, the UK’s highest-ranking military officer, said this week that there was “concern at all levels in the Russian armed forces” about the conflict.
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Rosgvardia is often regarded internationally as President Vladimir Putin’s “private army”, but at home its main role is to stage police protests. The force has been accused of using harsh tactics against opposition activists. Its responsibilities also include tackling organized crime and terrorism. Soldiers of the National Guard (Rosgvardia) detain a man for disobeying in Moscow. Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP However, in the five weeks since the invasion, their vehicles and uniforms have been spotted on video taken in Ukraine. At least one unconfirmed video showed a row of abandoned Rosgvardia vehicles, helmets and riot shields strewn in the snow. Some Western analysts believe that the guards were probably sent to Ukraine not to act as front-line troops, but to help occupy and suppress protests in Ukrainian cities that Russia expected to receive within days.
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But the authorities underestimated the Ukrainian resistance and many cities remained battlefields instead of quickly falling under Russian control, leaving the National Guard exposed. They may also have been developed amid a push for human resources at the beginning of the war. In the early days of the conflict, there were reports that some conscripts had been forced to take up employment contracts in order to be sent to Ukraine, indicating shortages of contract troops available. Putin acknowledged the issue on March 9, ordering an investigation into the reported cases. Putin on Wednesday awarded honorary titles to several members of the Rosgvardia who were wounded in heavy fighting around Kyiv – an admission that the guards had indeed been caught on the front lines.
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But Benyash said Rosgvardia’s officers had not been trained for full-fledged military operations. “I have [they] have you learned to dig trenches? “Should we build defense structures?” asked. “They carry small arms on their work line. “They have a lot of automated weapons, but they basically never use them,” he added. Some guards have been killed. Funeral services were held in the Russian city of Vladimir last month for several commanders of the local division of the military-capable rapid reaction unit known as the SOBR, according to media reports citing regional officials. “Vladimir SOBR was founded in 1993 and in the 29 years of its existence, there have been no casualties,” said Ilya Kosygin, an activist speaking from outside Russia. “Then, on March 18, a funeral was held for almost all of her leadership.” The Financial Times could not independently verify this claim.
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After Kosygin wrote about the incident on his website, he received messages threatening his safety and promising to report him to the security services. The site has since been blocked by the Russian media and communications service. The activist said he was proud to hear that a group of Rosgvardia soldiers were fighting a court battle to be ordered to serve in Ukraine. “Maybe my post played a role,” he said. “A lot of people read it and maybe some made that brave decision and maybe it saved their lives.” Ahead of the next hearing on Friday, lawyer Benyash said nine of the 12 guards who filed the dismissal case had withdrawn their claims under enormous pressure. There were threats to criminal cases unless they retreated, he said. “Some see their relatives driving them away,” he said. © 2022 The Financial Times Ltd
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