of Thanassis Gavos
Mikhail Benias, a lawyer in the southern city of Krasnodar, receives phone calls from members of the Russian security forces who do not want to go to Ukraine to fight. Russiaas he states in the Financial Times.
Mr Benias was receiving the phone calls after announcing that he was representing 12 members of the Russian domestic armed forces who had refused an order to go to the front, saying that development abroad was not part of their obligations. Their lawyer represents them in the lawsuit against the state for unjustified dismissal.
These are 12 members Rosgvardiathe domestic law enforcement force that was established in 2016, as a separate force from the Russian military, and is often described by international observers as “Putin’s private army.”
According to the head of the Russian human rights organization Agora, Pavel Tsikov, the 12 guards had been deployed in Crimea to participate in military exercises. The day after the Russian invasion, they were ordered to move to war-torn Ukraine, but refused.
They claimed that the order was illegal, as they are not soldiers but members of a domestic force, whose duties are limited within the Russian borders.
However, the report says that videos have been released from the Ukrainian front showing abandoned vehicles, helmets and Rosgvardia insignia, a clear indication that members of this force have finally been sent to fight on the front line.
Analysts believe that the mission of Rosgvardia members in Ukraine may be mainly to assist in the occupation of cities and the suppression of demonstrations by locals.
However, Vladimir Putin on Wednesday awarded honorary titles to members of the force who were injured in battles around Kyiv, which is interpreted as an admission of their involvement in the front line.
The lawyer Mr. Benias tells FT that he has now spoken “with many who do not want to go to fight”, estimating that about a thousand people have contacted him.
The British newspaper emphasizes that Mr. Benias has taken to court the case of his 12 original clients, in a legal case that is the first that officially reveals the “insurgency” within the Russian security forces.
The report also cites yesterday’s statement by the commander of the British Armed Forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, that there is now “unrest at all levels within the Russian Armed Forces.”
However, the Russian lawyer says that nine of his 12 clients withdrew their lawsuit under a regime of enormous pressure and threats, as well as reactions from their relatives.
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