Russian Conscript Dies By Suicide After Being Bullied For Refusing To Join War

A 20-year-old Russian conscript has committed suicide after being bullied for refusing to fight in the war in Ukraine, according to a report.

Earlier this month, Sergei Gridin from the Komi Republic in northwestern Russia was found hanging from a belt in his base outside Moscow. He left a suicide note that his fellow service members managed to take a photo of before commanders arrived and attempted to cover up his death.

In the letter, shared by the Telegram channel Mobilizatsiya. Novosti ("Mobilization. News"), Gridin said he "was assigned for rotation to Ukraine" but refused to join the war. This led to him being bullied by his sergeants and platoon commander. He added that he "can't live with" the humiliation.

"I don't want to submit to people who inspire nothing but fear and disgust. You didn't manage to break me and you already never will. That's why I decided to die here on native land without others' blood on my hands," the 20-year-old wrote in the letter, as translated by The Daily Beast.

Gridin added that he wanted his commanders punished and imprisoned for driving him to suicide but noted that Russia does not practice such laws.

His family confirmed Gridin's suicide to news publications Sirena and 7x7. His relatives noted that Gridin's body showed signs of beatings but that his death certificate did not mention any such findings.

The soldier's relatives also said the Russian military brass did not give them Gridin's cause of death and failed to inform them about his suicide note. They only found out later after being told about it by other Russian service members.

Gridin is not the first Russian conscript to take his own life amid the Kremlin's search for more troops to join its war in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, the BBC's Russian Service reported that at least eight draftees took their lives before they could be deployed to the battlefield, as translated via Google Translate. The outlet also noted that the Russian military often keeps the cause of death of mobilized men under wraps, especially of those who die in training centers.