Putin Makes Big Ukraine Admission, Says Soldiers 'Leave Combat Positions'

KEY POINTS

Russian president said this did not cause any problem for Russia in its fight to capture Ukraine
Putin also slammed reports that accused Moscow of running camps and prisons
He said last month the number of servicemen conscripted in the Russian Federation had reached 318,000

In a big revelation over the ongoing Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted there have been instances where Moscow's soldiers have left their military positions. However, he thinks that causes no problem for Russia in its fight to capture Ukraine.

"We have people who leave combat positions. Yes, that has happened. Now, that happens less and less. What is the problem? After all, even after training, a person who enters a combat zone cannot escape the corresponding feelings that a normal person has," Kremlin-aligned news outlet RIA Novosti, quoted Putin. "We don't have anything like this on a large scale."

According to the Russian president, most of these soldiers returned to duty voluntarily.

His comments came just a day after he said there was no need of adding more troops, as allegedly 150,000 Russian conscripts had been sent to Ukraine.

"As for possible conscription, and rumors about it. Look, out of 300,000 draftees, 150,000 are in the area of the special military operation [as Russia calls the war against Ukraine – ed.]. Thus, half of them have been deployed. Out of these 150,000, 75,000 are directly in combat units. Others are on the second or third lines, operating as territorial defense troops, or undergoing additional training," Putin said Wednesday, according to Pravda.

"Taking into account these circumstances, talk about any additional conscription measures does not make any sense and there is no need for the state and the Ministry of Defense at this time," he added.

Last month, Moscow's leader said the number of servicemen conscripted in the Russian Federation had reached 318,000.

Meanwhile, Putin also slammed reports that accused Russia of running camps and prisons.

Ukraine "shoot people on the spot" and carry out "mass shootings publicly in front of the lines," Putin said. "Not only do we not have anything like that, but we don't have camps, prisons, etc. It's all nonsense, fakes."

In September, the United Nations accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine, including bombings of civilian areas, numerous executions, torture and horrific sexual violence.

Thousands of lives have been lost since the war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24.