Russian command in Pokrovsk direction registers dead as deserters - partisans

This was reported by the partisan movement “ATESH” on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

“ATESH agents within the 30th Mechanized Brigade have documented a systematic practice: after large-scale losses, the command deliberately records the dead as having ‘deserted their unit’. This is how they conceal the real number of casualties and avoid claims from relatives,” the report says. 

The brigade has already created separate lists containing hundreds of names, presenting the dead as deserters.

Personnel are openly told that unauthorized absence from military service (UAS) is easier than explaining to relatives where the body is.”

This scheme is used both for those who disappeared as a result of chaotic assaults on the city and for those who were “zeroed out” by the troops. 

Over the past year, the scale of fictitious UAS has grown exponentially. According to agents of the movement, the number of these UAS is already enough to form an entire brigade.

"This practice completely destroys what little trust remains between the fighters. Soldiers understand that at any moment they can be ‘written off’ as deserters, even if they died in battle. This causes fear, aggression, and a rapid decline in morale. The command is not trusted, and the combat capability of the unit degrades with each new assault," ATESH noted. 

As reported by Ukrinform, ATESH agents conducted detailed reconnaissance of the Mytishchi Thermal Power Plant, a key energy hub that supplies electricity to a number of military and defense facilities in the Moscow region.

Ukrinform photos can be purchased here.