Russian Soldiers Who Complained About Lack Of Training Have Been Killed In War, Relatives Reveal

Andrei Oreshkin, a volunteer who searches for remains of Russian soldiers, at the Rossoshka burial site — AFP

KEY POINTS

One survivor of Russia's 1,439th regiment claimed "there is nothing left" of the unit
Only two wounded soldiers were known, while the rest either died or were left
The regiment had complained about being sent to combat without training

An entire unit of mobilized Russian soldiers that previously complained of being sent to combat without receiving any training has been nearly wiped out, according to the survivors' relatives.

The first and second battalions of the 1,439th regiment were reportedly sent to assault fortifications near the besieged city of Avdiivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province between Feb. 28 and March 1.

One survivor of the regiment, raised in Russia's southern Irkutsk region, told his wife that "there is nothing left" of the unit, Siberia.Realities, a regional affiliate of the United States government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Russian service, reported.

The relative of another wounded trooper also claimed that the entire 1,439th regiment was "practically destroyed," according to the outlet.

Regiments usually consist of three to six battalions, each having between 250 and 1,000 personnel, according to the independent nonprofit GlobalSecurity.org.

The first survivor, who was hospitalized after getting injured by shrapnel, noted that "so far, only two of the wounded are known, the rest either died or were left there in a difficult situation," his wife, identified as Svetlana, claimed.

He was given a week for treatment before being sent back to the front line, his wife said.

Soldiers of the 1,439th regiment, many of whom were over the age of 40 and had chronic diseases, have complained on three separate occasions that they were being thrown into combat without proper training, independent Russian media outlet The Insider reported.

In one video complaint recorded on Feb. 25 and published by Siberian news source Lyudi Baikala, soldiers of the unit claimed they had been "illegally" put under the command of the First Slavic Brigade of the Donetsk People's Republic breakaway state and sent to be "slaughtered."

"Command told us directly that we are expendable, and that the only chance we have of returning home is getting injured," the troopers, addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin at the time, said, independent media outlet Meduza reported.

"Please help. There is nowhere else to run," they added.

Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev previously claimed that he had asked the military prosecutor's office to clarify the situation with the 1,439th regiment.

He also promised that the mobilized troops would be transferred to a different location.

Russia has lost a total of 153,770 personnel since it invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, data provided by the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff showed.