Russian commanders are torturing and executing their own troops who refuse to fight in Ukraine, according to a grim investigation by the independent outlet Verstka. The report reveals a culture of fear, violence, and impunity within the Russian military that has quietly intensified since the invasion began.
Verstka, drawing on testimonies from serving soldiers, relatives of the dead, leaked videos, and official complaint records, identified 101 Russian servicemen accused of murdering, torturing, or fatally punishing their comrades. The outlet verified at least 150 deaths but warned that the real number is likely much higher.
As noted by The Guardian, Reports of soldiers being killed by their own side, or of so-called blocking units stopping retreats, have circulated since the war began. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed these claims, insisting that problems with discipline exist only in the Ukrainian army. Verstka’s investigation, however, is the most detailed account to date, documenting systematic methods used to enforce obedience and terror within Russian ranks.
Soldiers said commanders had appointed “execution shooters” to open fire on those who refused orders, later dumping the bodies in rivers or shallow graves and recording them as killed in action. Other accounts describe drones and explosives being used to “finish off” retreating or wounded troops. Officers allegedly instructed drone operators to drop grenades on their own men, disguising the killings as battlefield casualties.
The outlet also documented cases of soldiers tortured to death. Troops who disobeyed orders were reportedly thrown into pits covered with metal grates, doused with water, and beaten for hours—or even days. In some instances, they were forced to fight each other in gladiator-style battles to the death.
A video circulated in May 2025 by Ukrainian monitoring groups shows two shirtless men in a pit as a voice off-camera says: “Commander Kama basically said whoever beats the other one to death gets out of the pit.” The men fight while the voice taunts: “Finish him off already, what are you waiting for?” One collapses motionless on the ground.
Verstka also linked several killings to financial extortion schemes, in which commanders demanded payments from soldiers to avoid suicide missions. Those who could not pay—or refused—were “zeroed,” army slang for being eliminated. The investigation details cases where Russian troops were deliberately deployed as “mayachki,” or beacons, sent ahead of assault groups without equipment to draw enemy fire.
Initially, most reports of internal executions came from penal formations made up of ex-convicts, but Verstka’s database shows the practice has spread to regular army units. The report says the influx of former prisoners and a culture of impunity have “normalised violence.”
Most of the identified perpetrators are mid-ranking officers in their 30s and 40s, many veterans of earlier Russian campaigns or transferred from penal battalions. Few, if any, have faced prosecution. Verstka obtained detailed biographical information—name, rank, age, and unit—for more than 60 of the 101 alleged perpetrators, yet almost none have been held accountable.
Official data obtained by the outlet shows Russia’s main military prosecutor’s office received nearly 29,000 complaints from soldiers and families in the first half of 2025, over 12,000 of which involved punishment by their own superiors. A source in the office told Verstka there was an informal ban on investigating commanders serving in combat zones: “They say: ‘If we open this, it could harm operations.’ That means these officers have total impunity,” he said.
Verstka’s investigation exposes an army where fear, brutality, and corruption are weaponized internally, leaving Russian soldiers to face not just the enemy, but the deadly authority of their own commanders.
