A Russian soldier who suffered a severe eye injury while fighting in Ukraine recently released a video in which he said Moscow's military command has ordered him to return to the war.
In his video, the soldier made a personal plea with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reverse the order.
The clip was shared to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday by WarTranslated, an independent media project that translates materials about the Russia-Ukraine war into English. Newsweek could not independently verify the video and contacted Russia's Ministry of Defense via email for comment.
WarTranslated frequently posts videos of Russian soldiers airing their grievances with Putin or Russia's military leaders. On Saturday, WarTranslated's X account shared a video that allegedly showed naked Russian soldiers being forced to stay in a pit because they refused to fight. In late June, the media project shared a video of a Storm-Z company from Russia's military saying they would not return to what they called the "meat grinder" of the front lines.
"A young Russian serviceman, who voluntarily went to the war in Ukraine, and nearly lost all of his vision in Bakhmut, is asking TikTok, YouTube, and Vladimir Putin to help him as his command wants to send him back to fight in Ukraine," WarTranslated wrote in the caption for the clip.
The caption added: "He doesn't really mind, just don't have the health for it anymore."
A young Russian serviceman, who voluntarily went to the war in Ukraine, and nearly lost all of his vision in Bakhmut, is asking TikTok, YouTube, and Vladimir Putin to help him as his command wants to send him back to fight in Ukraine. He doesn't really mind, just don't have the... pic.twitter.com/SESTANVQLT
— Dmitri (@wartranslated) November 20, 2023
"Hello, I would like to record my appeal to President Putin. I'm a veteran of the SMO [special military operation] and was very badly wounded in the Bakhmut direction," the soldier said in the video, according to WarTranslated's subtitles.
He continued: "I have two concussions. I'm recording this appeal to get help. They want me to return to the SMO. I have 30 percent vision. Only the right eye remains.
"I need your help because they made a medical diagnosis without me. They did a military medical examination without me. This video is so that I can get to the very top and help me."
The unidentified solider then alludes to mistreatment he and other Russian veterans have allegedly faced.
"I'd really appreciate the help as you know what state we're in. And how they treat us, veterans of the hostilities," he said, per WarTranslated. "Send it everywhere, TikTok, YouTube. I need your help. They'll take me back to the SMO. Friends, I don't really mind, but my health is bad, and I can't see."
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
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