Despite official statements from the Kremlin that Russian soldiers are not being dispatched to aid rebels in eastern Ukraine, a number of Russian soldiers have decided to quit due to the country's alleged military involvement.
The evidence of Russian military involvement in Ukraine are abundant. There have been numerous reports of Russian army equipment being found in the country. A number of locals and the families of soldiers in Ukraine also report that Russian paratroopers are capturing Ukrainian soldiers, according to Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has continued to deny these allegations. An official statement from the Russian government states that any Russian soldier seen fighting in Ukraine is acting as a "volunteer," and thus, is not being forced to fight, according to The Independent.
A number of recent testimonies from Russian soldiers, however, prove this statement to be false.
It is extremely difficult to find Russian soldiers who are willing to issue statements about Russian military involvement in Ukraine. However, five soldiers who recently quit the military have issued very significant statements regarding their experiences, according to Reuters.
A soldier from the elite Russian Kantemirovskaya tank division who has chosen to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisals, states that Russian soldiers are indeed being sent to fight in Ukraine.
"After we crossed the border, a lieutenant colonel said we could be sent to jail if we didn't fulfil orders. Some soldiers refused to stay there," the soldier said.
"They were taken somewhere. The lieutenant colonel said criminal cases were opened against them but in reality - we called them afterwards - they were at home. They just quit," he added.
The former Russian soldiers who commented, as well as human rights activists, state that Russian soldiers are very hesitant to fight in Ukraine. Those who did go were pressured into going, or were very displeased with the way they were treated after their participation in the battle, according to Reuters.
The soldier from the elite Russian tank division states that he would not have fought in Ukraine on his own volition.
"No, what for? That's not our war. If our troops were officially there it would be a different story," He said.
The soldiers were also promised a stipend for participating, as well as extra money for combat and medals, according to The Independent. However, that was not to be the case. Thus, when the group arrived in Ukraine, 14 of the soldiers decided to leave.
