Russian Soldiers Witness Commanders Execute Troops for Refusing

Published: February 24, 2026.

The English Chronicle Desk.

The English Chronicle Online.

Russian soldiers have come forward with harrowing accounts of brutality within their own ranks, revealing a grim reality on the front lines in Ukraine. In a new BBC documentary titled The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War, four former Russian troops—now fugitives outside Russia—describe witnessing commanders order the summary execution of soldiers who refused orders or attempted to flee suicidal assaults.

The men, speaking on record for what the BBC describes as a first-of-its-kind exposure from active front-line Russian personnel, detail “zeroing”—military slang for executing one’s own comrades—as a routine tool of intimidation and control. One soldier, Ilya, a 35-year-old former special needs teacher from Kungur in the Ural Mountains, recounted being mobilized in May 2024 alongside 78 others in Perm. He survived as the sole member of his group, having refused to advance to the front. He claims he was tortured, beaten, and humiliated, including being urinated on while tied to a tree. Ilya says he personally witnessed a commander shoot four men at point-blank range in occupied Donetsk regions, including one pleading desperately, “Don’t shoot, I’ll do anything!”

Another soldier, Dima, a 34-year-old former dishwasher repairman from Moscow, described similar horrors in the 25th Brigade. He saw his commander, Alexei Ksenofontov—awarded the “Hero of Russia” title in 2024—personally execute soldiers just meters away. “Click, clack, bang,” Dima recalled. “It’s not a drama, it’s not a movie, it’s real life.” He also reported discovering 20 bodies in a ditch, allegedly shot after their bank cards were confiscated, with commanders fabricating reports to cover losses. Families of deceased soldiers in Ksenofontov’s unit penned a January 2025 open letter to President Putin, decrying the “butcher” commander and alleging impunity for mass deaths.

The testimonies highlight “meat storms,” relentless human-wave attacks dubbed suicide missions by troops, designed to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses through sheer numbers and attrition. Denis, another former soldier, explained the tactic: send small groups, then larger ones until a breakthrough occurs, regardless of casualties. Dima noted his regiment suffered 200 deaths in three days during one such assault. Refusal often led to torture—electrocution, starvation, unarmed deployment—or execution. Ilya showed footage of men in pits being force-fed like animals and humiliated.

A senior ex-officer with 17 years of service recounted hearing of “liquidation squads” eliminating survivors, calling it unprecedented in his career. The men also spoke of psychological scars: nightmares of bloodied bodies, guilt, and a sense of criminality for simply refusing to kill.

These accounts align with broader reports of discipline breakdowns, high casualties, and coercive mobilization in Russia’s forces. The UK’s Ministry of Defence estimates over 1.2 million Russian troops killed or wounded since February 2022, with daily losses in 2025 ranging from 900 to 1,500. Moscow maintains its forces act with “utmost restraint” and investigate alleged violations, while denying the claims’ verifiability in response to the BBC.

The soldiers, now in hiding, express deep disillusionment. “I love my country, but not what Putin has done to it,” Ilya said. Dima lamented, “I’m a criminal, and nobody cares—my crime is just I don’t want to kill.” Their stories underscore the human cost behind the conflict, where dissent is crushed and obedience enforced through terror.

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