Recently mobilized servicemen in the Belgorod Region (south of Russia) are rebelling against intolerable living conditions, their commanding officers’ attitude, and the fact that they were issued weapons straight from the 1970s. The man in the video insists that around 500 soldiers in the Belgorod Region have not been assigned to any military unit and have spent a week living “like cattle” without any supplies.
According to him, they were issued weapons that are not listed on their military registration cards and had been written off from warehouses. The mobilized also claim to be enduring humiliation at the hands of their officers and spending a lot of personal money on food and equipment.
Other men in the video shout that, once they arrived, they lived outdoors for several days and that many of them have fallen ill as a result and have a fever. Most of them have not been provided with helmets or armored vests.
Since Putin announced a “partial” mobilization, Russian officials have dismissed reports about shortages of equipment for the mobilized, even though an official online resource encourages them to bring their own quadcopters and night vision goggles, and individual commanders suggest buying armored vests and wound dressing materials in advance. The Insider also learned that the wives of mobilized Russians have set up Telegram chats, where they complain that equipping a man for war costs around $2,500. The women also suggest packing tampons, which can be used to stop the bleeding from bullet wounds, and hygiene pads – as shoe inserts.