Russian soldier goes AWOL after posting emotional battlefield video
Jewgienij Zarubin, who permanently resides in Kursk, Russia, and recorded a dramatic video in which he tearfully talks about losses in his unit, is being sought. The man "left the unit without permission." On Monday, authorities are expected to issue a federal arrest warrant for him.
Jewgienij Zarubin was a trainer of the Storm Z* units, which sustained the heaviest losses on the battlefield. The Russian served in the 138th Brigade. The man gained attention when he published a dramatic video online in mid-July.
"I'm sorry"
Shaking and in tears, Zarubin recounted the assault on the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk. "Out of 46 people, 30 returned; many comrades died. I'm sorry for those I couldn't save," he said. Many Russians were injured.
"The face of the Russian offensive in Kharkiv. Out of 46 soldiers, only 30 managed, according to Putin's whim, to come out alive from the meat grinder, and many of them were wounded. They fight to the last Russian, exhaust their strength, cry, but like zombies, they keep going to their deaths," commented Yuriy Butusov, chief editor of Censor.Net.
Zarubin is armed
As reported by ASTRA, Zarubin fled from his unit. It is unclear when exactly this happened. Currently, authorities are searching for him for "leaving the unit without permission."
"Tomorrow, we will place him on the federal wanted list. We don't know what happened. We still can't find his weapon. Therefore, we are searching for him as particularly dangerous," a military official responsible for the search said in an interview with journalists.
*Storm Z is a penal military unit established by Russia in April 2023. It is a penal unit because soldiers who abuse alcohol or drugs, as well as criminals, are sent there. Storm Z units sustain the most significant losses on the front and are used for so-called "meat assaults."
