Russian Commander Says Putin Throws Troops 'to the Slaughter'

A man identifying himself as the Russian commander of the Donetsk Republic's 113th regiment revealed that his men are being sent ''to the slaughter'' fighting in Ukraine without proper supplies, the Mirror reports.

The British news outlet reports that the commander was filmed standing in front of his soldiers, in a video posted to a pro-Russian Telegram channel.

In the footage, he complains that they have been fighting on the front with no medicine or appropriate weapons, and says the unit suffered from ''chronic illness.''

''Since February, the guys have been at the forefront in the Kherson region in hunger and cold,'' the commander said in the video, according to the Mirror. ''No one passed a medical examination; they mobilized children who have mental illness, fathers of many children, guardians.

''Also, our fighters report that the command throws them to the slaughter without proper weapons,'' he added.

The commander also sought permission to return to Donetsk to stop the mobilization there.

The Telegram channel reportedly goes on to state that the way Russia has mobilized soldiers is illegal.

It seemingly represents fighters from the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and has regularly posted other complaint videos about the way Russia has treated the region it claims to be liberating, according to the Mirror.

Some have pointed out that the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic — the areas Russia has claimed are independent states in eastern Ukraine — have suffered greatly as a result of Russia's actions in the region.

In a thread on Twitter, Kamil Galeev, a fellow at the Wilson Center, outlined how troops from these regions were often shouldering the brunt of the conflict.

''It's not the Russian regulars who are bearing the main burden of war in Eastern Ukraine,'' Galeev said. ''It is the troops of pro-Russian puppet states Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.''

According to Galeev, the 105th and 107th regiments of the Donetsk People's Republic recently refused to fight and made similar complaints to those of the commander of the 113th regiment — namely, that they were being used as ''cannon fodder'' or treated like mercenaries.

Nearly 50,000 lives have been lost in the fighting so far, according to Reuters, with Russia suffering more casualties.

• Russia Says It Will Continue 'Operation' in Ukraine Until All Goals Are Achieved
• Russia Occupies 20 Percent of Ukraine's Territory: Zelenskyy