Drunkenness, corruption, and dire losses: Ex‑soldiers escape from Russia

"We are fucking orcs!" Anton heard these words from his commanders when he decided to desert the Russian army and go to the West earlier this year. He explains what made him flee.

The war in Ukraine has been going on for two and a half years now. During this time, hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides have died on the front lines. There is a lot of talk about Russian losses, which have grown tremendously recently, mainly due to Vovchansk.

This state of affairs is confirmed not only by foreign intelligence but also by Russian soldiers themselves, who are increasingly appealing to the authorities for rescue. However, as former Putin army soldier Anton told Verstka journalists, no one in Russia's command cares about human life.

There are plenty of machine guns, but getting something heavier is a difficult task. The commander once spoke frankly about it: "I don't care about you—they'll send me as many as I need. But if we lose equipment, we'll get hit hard and there will be tons of paperwork." And it's consistent with everything else; in the assault units, the casualty rate reaches 90 percent—Anton told Verstka in an interview, cited by Meduza.io.

In the conversation with the portal, Anton emphasizes that the Russian army lacked professionalism from the beginning. He particularly stresses the equipment that goes to the recruits. To get it completely, you must pay a unique bribe. Additionally, his memories feature significant drunkenness.

Once, our command got drunk and mumbled: 'We are fucking orcs!' And we really are fucking orcs. It's disappointing. The command usually doesn't admit it, and these moments of honesty usually occur when they drink. My time in the army destroyed my outlook on life. I no longer have any positive feelings about Russian statehood. This is not a war; it's just agony. The only similarity that comes to mind is World War I. They just send you to the slaughter—Anton says.

Anton does not hide that he went through hell in the Russian army. After just two months, only 40 soldiers were left from his unit, which numbered 600 people. These losses encouraged him to escape, which, by hitchhiking, led through Minsk, Yerevan, and finally to the European Union.

Almost everyone who was on the front line thinks about escaping. If you are very careful, escaping from the army is entirely doable. Leave the field camp, take off your uniform, and change into civilian clothes. The most important thing is to have some form of identification other than military documents—Anton summarizes his escape.