23/ Natalya has since lost touch with her son. ""Two days ago he sent me a text message: 'Mom, forgive me for everything, I'm really tired, I can't live like this.' And now I haven't been able to get through to him for several days.
Full-scale invasion and national resilience, broadcasted live.
-
Unit commanders extorted soldiers’ families, threatening deployment.
19/ According to Natalya, other soldiers in the unit were also extorted, as in the case of a soldier from Krasnodar. "They [commanders] asked his wife: "Bring your car from Krasnodar or give us money – and we won't let your husband go to the front." (The man later died.)
-
Financial woes and perceived mental distress: A troubling situation
21/ "The money should come on the 20th, they’re getting 200 thousand in total, and now they’ve got 40 thousand in advance. But he doesn’t see [the money]. They put him on these drugs, on these salts, and he’s insane – he doesn’t hear or see anyone.”
-
Novikov’s detention extended; hostages identified by Mediazona
13/ According to RT journalist Andrey Filatov, Novikov's detention was extended by another four months on 8 November. The independent Russian news outlet Mediazona was able to identify several of the soldiers who were allegedly held hostage by Novikov.
-
Allegations of torture and robbery against former miner Novikov fighting since 2014
11/ However, Novikov – a former miner from Donetsk who has been fighting since 2014 – is reported to have a long history of torturing and robbing his own men. Together with the recently deceased Pavel Klimenko of the 5th Brigade, he is said to have operated a "torture mine".
-
Russian Milbloggers Outraged by Novikov’s Arrest, Claim Retaliation by Drug Dealers
10/ Novikov's arrest has aroused anger from Russian milbloggers, who regard him as something of a celebrity – he has featured in propaganda broadcasts in the past. He is claimed to have stood up against drug dealers, whom the bloggers claim had him arrested in retaliation.
-
Hostage soldiers exploited for months, criminal case opened for robbery, extortion, kidnapping
7/ "They took hostage soldiers who had no relatives and for months received millions of rubles from their cards. So far, a criminal case has been opened under the articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Robbery", "Extortion" and "Kidnapping".
-
17 servicemen tortured in dog pens, testify against commanders
5/ "At the time of the inspection, 17 servicemen of the unit, aged from 19 to 40, were found in the dog pens. All of them were tortured and testified against their commanders.
-
Two servicemen accused in criminal case: Novikov and Gvozdev
6/ "According to the materials of the criminal case, so far only two servicemen are accused: Vladimir Novikov (call sign "Bely") and a certain Gvozdev A.A. (call sign "Nail").
-
Donetsk Commander Arrested After Bar Fight With Prosecutors, OMON Raid Base
3/ The arrest reportedly came after men under his command got into a fight with employees of the local military prosecutor's office in a bar in Donetsk, likely under the influence of alcohol. The prosecutor's office responded by raiding the unit's base with OMON riot police.