Russian Soldier Runs Over Own Commander As Protest For Death Of Colleagues: Report

A Russian soldier allegedly drove a tank over his commanding officer after several units under the latter's command lost half of their men in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The soldier, identified only as a serviceman of the Russian Army's 37th Motor Rifle Brigade, used his tank to run over the brigade's commander, Colonel Yuri Medvedev, according to Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk.

Two of the brigade's battalion tactical groups, which totaled around 1,500 men and were deployed in Makarov, Kyiv, had lost "about 50% of their personnel," and "many soldiers were injured in various degrees of gravity," Tsymbaliuk said in a Facebook post.

One of the officers from the brigade's tank battalions allegedly blamed Medvedev for the deaths of his friends and co-workers.

This soldier later ran over Medvedev with a tank during a "convenient moment" amid the fighting and injured both of the brigade commander's legs, according to Tsymbaliuk.

International Business Times could not independently verify Tsymbaliuk's report.

The journalist did not specify the tank model used in the alleged incident and did not reveal what happened to the Russian soldier afterward.

Footage of a wounded Medvedev being evacuated by Chechen fighters was uploaded to the Telegram channel of Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Telegram post did not disclose the cause of the brigade commander's wounds.

Medvedev is currently in a hospital in Belarus, according to Tsumbaliuk.

He has since been awarded the Order of Courage and is now "awaiting financial compensation for combat injuries received during the 'special military operation to protect Donbas,'" the Ukrainian journalist said.

"The Order of Courage is awarded to citizens who have shown dedication, courage and courage in the protection of public order, in the fight against crime, in rescuing people during natural disasters, fires, catastrophes and other emergencies, as well as for courageous and decisive actions committed in the performance of military, civic or official duty in life-threatening conditions," the Russian government's page for the order stated.

Medvedev's 37th Motor Rifle Brigade invaded Ukraine under the 36th Combined Arms Army.

A detachment from the brigade engaged in combat with Ukrainian paratroopers near Ukraine's capital Kyiv, which resulted in losses among Russian troops and their armored fighting vehicles, according to a recent report.

Russia has lost around 15,600 personnel a month into its invasion of Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s latest Russian casualties report.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization estimated Wednesday that Russian fatalities in the ongoing conflict numbered between 7,000 and 15,000, a report by the Associated Press said.

In comparison, Russia lost about 15,000 troops over 10 years during its invasion of Afghanistan, according to the outlet.

Russia’s first and last official death toll from the Ukraine war that was released on March 2 stated that it had lost 498 soldiers at the time.

A Russian tabloid, citing Russia’s Ministry of Defense, later reported that 9,861 personnel from the country’s armed forces have died in Ukraine, but the figure was later removed.