September 29, 2022

A resident of Pisky, a small town in eastern Ukraine that was recaptured by Ukrainian forces, says Russian soldiers kept asking the same question.

“We always sat here, they left us alone,” says an elderly woman on a bench on the village street in a video that CNN published on Twitter.

Attacks by Russian separatists had already become a habit for the remaining residents of Pisky, 10 kilometers from Donetsk. For more than eight years, the troops of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk have been shelling the once prosperous suburb of the coal-industrial metropolis.

where are the nazis

The woman sitting next to her on the bench says: “Nazis, Nazis”, they, the Russian occupiers, would have shouted over and over again, “Where are the Nazis?”

With its “special military operation,” as the acts of war are officially called in Russia, the Kremlin wants to “help” the population in its neighboring country and “denazify” the country. This information is not only provided to the people of Russia, but also to many of the men who are sent to the front lines.

The bodies of dead Russian soldiers lie on the streets all over town. “Senselessly wasted lives,” says the reporter in the video. He shows the camera a bank document that one of the dead people lying on the ground was carrying. It says that he was from Saint Petersburg and would have turned 21 in three days.

Tampons and bandages instead of bandages

And now supplies will come. Through partial mobilization, Russia is recruiting combat-ready men across the country. In his television speech every evening on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described this as “new cannon fodder” and “cynical murder” of his own people .

300,000 reservists are to be drafted into the Russian army with the partial mobilization announced by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. Deserters face up to 15 years in prison if they desert . According to the Russian military, thousands of men have already followed the call to fight in the country. The Institute for the Study of War in Washington speaks of sluggish recruitment .

A video is currently running on social networks that is supposed to show an apparently experienced soldier instructing recruits. She stands between beds and gives a little crash course with tips on how to behave and survive at the front.

Uniform as equipment, nothing else

One thing is clear: the recruits can hope in vain for equipment.

Apparently there is not enough equipment for hundreds of thousands of new soldiers. According to the soldier in the video, the hastily drafted people only get a uniform and, with a bit of luck, a pair of boots.

She says to the reservists in the military barracks: “Now please don’t laugh”, ask your mothers and girlfriends for tampons and pads!” The cheap ones would be the best.

In the case of gunshot wounds, they could push the tampons into the bullet hole. The tampon would swell up to the edges of the wound and thus close the wound. The sanitary napkins would also be suitable for treating wounds.

As a further tip, first-aid kits from the cars are mentioned. The recruits should also procure their own backpacks, sleeping bags and medication.

US Embassy urges Americans to leave Russia

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Moscow is asking American citizens in Russia to leave the country as soon as possible. The reason for the call is the mobilization of Russia, the embassy writes on its website.

“US citizens should not travel to Russia, and those residing or traveling in Russia should leave Russia immediately while limited commercial travel opportunities exist,” the embassy warns.

Dual nationals could also be affected by mobilization and conscripted into the army.

Foreign Office warns against traveling to Russia

The Federal Foreign Office also advises against traveling to Russia . “Travel to the Russian Federation is not recommended. Travel to the administrative areas bordering Ukraine (Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Voronezh, Rostov, Krasnodar) is warned,” it said

At the moment there are no direct effects of Putin’s mobilization on German citizens. “Nevertheless, you should carefully consider whether a trip to Russia is currently necessary.”

“German-Russian dual nationals must note that the Russian authorities only regard them as Russian citizens. The embassy cannot grant them consular protection.”