A video has been released showing a Russian soldier killing a wounded comrade who was attacked by a drone.
Business Insider reported on the 25th, “Experts in warfare have analyzed that the killing of an injured colleague by a Russian soldier highlights the ‘cruel culture’ prevalent within the Russian military.”
The video posted on Telegram on the 23rd shows several Russian soldiers evacuating, but one soldier falls after being attacked by a drone. The injured soldier pointed his head toward a comrade who was following him, and the comrade immediately shot him in the head.
The writer of that posting commented, “At the request of a comrade, a Russian soldier shot a comrade who was injured in a drone attack,” adding that they knew the exact location of the occurrence but would not disclose it. The source of the video has not been precisely identified.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank based in Washington, D.C., evaluated the video as “showing the rampant viciousness within the Russian military.” ISW experts claimed there have been cases where Russian soldiers intentionally killed their comrades. For instance, they cited an incident in 2022 where Russian soldiers ran over a commander with a tank after consecutive defeats in Ukraine.
ISW experts explained, “Fragging (deliberate killing of comrades) indicates an extremely poor military discipline, a disconnect between tactical commanders and subordinates, and a blatant disregard for human life.”
