2024-01-11 17:06:00
A well-known Serbian mercenary in Russia complains about discrimination against his compatriots during the war. He appeals to the military leadership.
A Serbian mercenary fighting for Russia in the Ukraine war has made serious allegations against the military leadership in Moscow. He particularly complains about how foreign soldiers are treated.
Dejan Berić, himself a former sniper who was present during Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, refers to information from Serbian mercenaries from the 119th Parachute Brigade, who serve there in a special unit called “Wolf”. He published a video in which he describes how his compatriots would be treated. They were called “gypsies,” they were “treated like cattle,” and asked why they would even fight alongside the Russians.
Soldiers should capture weapons
Berić says in the video, which appears to have been recorded in an apartment, that the Serbian soldiers had to pay for their uniforms and equipment and even buy their own water. The command sent the men into battle without enough ammunition. They were told to capture the enemy’s weapons.
The mercenary said he had appealed to the Russian military prosecutor’s office in Donetsk and to the administration of the Chechen head of government so that the Serbs were transferred to the Akhmat command, which reports to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. But he encountered resistance from the regimental leadership.
Honored as a war hero in Russia
The allegations have a certain explosiveness because Berić is no stranger to Russia. After his missions in Donbass in 2014, he received several awards. He is said to have been wounded in 2018. In the years that followed, he appeared repeatedly on Russian television and was celebrated as a war hero.
During his appearances, Berić mostly spreads Russian propaganda. He even appeared alongside Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marija Zakharova in 2019. The Serb is now said to be active again in the war against Ukraine and is recruiting mercenaries. In Serbia, such recruitment has been criminalized.
There are repeated reports of poor treatment of Russian soldiers at the front and complaints about the leadership. In the latest report by the American Institute for War Studies (ISW), Russian sources continued to complain about persistent command and communications problems that are affecting Russian combat capability on the eastern bank of Kherson Oblast. Russian forces operating near Krynky are reportedly unable to target Ukrainian planes and helicopters because the leadership does not give them timely permission to shoot down targets.
1704997735
#treated #cattle