An explosive new book by a former paratrooper in the Russian army reveals that Putin’s men were unaware they were invading Ukraine until they came under fire from Kiev forces.
Pavel Filatiev, 33, claims that his elite unit was ordered to the Ukrainian border after he learned of a planned invasion in the international press, but that they were not given any advance notice that they would be coming up against hostile troops.
In his story, he also describes how he was issued a rusty machine gun, an uncomfortable outfit, and the fact that his fellow soldiers perished because they were using “our grandfathers’ methods.”
He said that around two in the morning on February 24, the day the invasion started, he heard gunshots coming from an army vehicle that was crossing the border.
Are we shooting at Ukrainians who are advancing, Filatiev questioned?
“It wasn’t apparent where we were heading or why. It was obvious that a true conflict had broken out. I learned that we were given instructions to go to Kherson.
Filatiev said he realised he had entered the neighbouring nation when bombardment began and Ukrainian forces started shooting at Russian vehicles.
It became obvious that we had invaded Ukraine, he said.
Filatiev has exposed shocking flaws in a shocking new book, including poorly fitted clothes and army medics without needles or medications.
The paratrooper took part in the first failed invasion but left shortly after due to illness.
He said that Russian generals were using “the strategies of our grandfathers.”
Pavel wrote in horrifying passages that were featured by the non-profit news organisations iStories and Meduza: “We had no moral right to destroy another nation, particularly the ones closest to us.”
When everything began, I didn’t know many individuals who supported the Nazis and wanted to fight Ukraine.
We had no ill will against Ukrainians and did not see them as adversaries.
The majority of the army is unhappy with what is occurring there.
They are unhappy with the government, their commander, Putin and his policies, as well as the defence minister, who is a civilian and has never served in the military.
“I think we got carried away, and we’ve all become captives of numerous forces.”
“We sparked a horrible conflict. a conflict that results in the destruction of cities and the killing of children, women, and senior citizens.
His lack of preparedness started when he was given a worn-out used outfit.
I refused to wear a worn uniform that didn’t fit, and as a result, my relationship with the leadership started to deteriorate, he said.
“I went and purchased myself a pea coat after clashing with my company commander,” the speaker said.
Because they lacked the right gear while training for the war, some personnel became ill.
He added, “We proceeded to the [training] area for [parachuting].
We were travelling in uncovered KamAZ trucks when it was below zero at night.
Many of the military members lacked warm clothing; some hadn’t gotten any, and others had turned them down.
“About 30 military members from my unit were hospitalised to the infectious diseases unit within a week.”
He said that everyone who was unwell had been on the disastrous training jumps in Crimea that had been seized.
My business was at a Staryi Krym training facility in the middle of February.
When I saw that everyone who had been released or taken sick had been gathered up and sent to the practise field, I knew that something obviously wasn’t right.
The next few days, we visited the shooting range, where I at last received my machine gun.
It turns out that my machine gun was just rusty and had a damaged belt.
“The [cartridge] jammed on the very first night of shooting,” it was said.
On February 20, the order to hastily pack up and go came even as Putin’s leadership denied that it was heading to war.
“There was going to be a forced march to somewhere we didn’t know.”
Everyone was already filthy and worn out by that time.
Some residents had been residing in the practise facility for about a month.
The mood got more sombre and confusing as everyone’s nerves were on edge.
His own commander was unsure of his duties at the beginning of the conflict, which caused chaos.
“On February 23, the division commander came and informed us that the daily salary would increase to $69 [£57] as of the next day in honour of Defender of the Fatherland Day.
It was obvious that something significant was going to occur.
I awoke about two in the morning [on February 24] [in the back of a KamAZ vehicle]’.
Everyone had shut off their motors and headlights when the column was lined up out in the bush.
Rocket artillery was firing to our column’s right and left.
“I couldn’t understand: Are we shooting at Ukrainians who are moving forward?”
Or maybe at NATO forces? Or are we waging war? Who is the target of this horrific shelling?
The column started to sway gradually.
I could hear gunshots and explosions coming from where we were moving.
We already had dead and injured military members.
No communications were made by the command. The commander was unable to comprehend what was taking place.
He described how his men had murdered people.
“I found out that a BMD cannon was used to fire on a truck carrying civilians. In the vehicle were a mother and numerous kids. Only one youngster made it through.
He exposed an army mired in the past and ill-prepared for the conflict Putin believed would quickly seize control of Ukraine.
Our whole training was exclusively conducted on paper, and our approach was hopelessly antiquated, he said.
We continue to use the same strategies as our forefathers.
Those who made the initial breakthrough were wiped out.
The men informed me that their brigade is down to [just] 50 members.
The whole squad camped out as soon as it became dark.
“It was freezing.” No one had sleeping bags, so the bones were penetrated by the cold.
The command had placed us in such circumstances; homeless people live better. We didn’t even need the enemy.
We landed at the Kherson harbour the next day.
Everyone began looking inside the structures for food, water, baths, and a place to sleep.
Some started stealing computers and anything else of value they could find. I followed suit and snatched a hat I discovered in a broken-down vehicle.
The offices featured a cafeteria with a kitchen and refrigerators, he recalled.
“Like savages, we devoured everything within.”
“We flipped everything upside down throughout the night.”
By mid-April, Filatiev claimed, “I had dirt in my eyes from artillery fire, and keratitis had developed.”
“I was evacuated after five days of pain, during which time [one] eye had already closed shut.
The paramedic who sent me to be evacuated requested that I inform the medical detachment that he was lacking syringes and medicines.
‘We were escorted to one of the barracks which was set aside for persons who had been released from the hospital,’ he said.
There were 100 veterans of the war there, and they were all in a state of disarray due to what they had gone through.
“One stutter[ed] a lot, I observed two persons with memory loss, [and] a lot of people present drank severely, drinking away the money they had earned,” one observer said.
The paratrooper said, “I had to pay for my own medical care and medication.”
I went to the prosecutor’s office, the command, the director of the hospital, and I wrote to the president in an effort to get treatment from the army for two months.
I made the decision to leave the army and go through the military medical board for personal reasons.
The command reported that I was avoiding duty and sent paperwork to the district attorney’s office to file a criminal complaint.
They’re trying to send a lot of people home by using this bluff.
He believed the army leadership had betrayed him in battle.
He responded, “I can only drop my weapon, go away, and turn into a coward, or go after everyone [Ukrainians].
“Now I see how I was abused.”
He said that the war machine is keeping troops in it because of Putin’s propaganda campaigns, the employment of harsh regulations, promises of further funding for soldiers, and the usage of awards and decorations.
I realised that if danger appeared quickly from one of the homes, I would fire without thinking.
“Doubts are perilous, inattention or delay is the death of myself or my colleagues.”
I didn’t want to murder anybody, however, at the same time.
Any battle will result in the killing of innocent people, yet this is repugnant to the soul.
While our governments struggle to coexist, using the military as a weapon on both sides, peaceful people are dying and their way of life is coming to an end.
“When this becomes apparent, you are at a loss for what to do.
Drop everything and leave, or else you’ll be a coward and a traitor, was the advice.
You will be complicit in many people’s deaths and suffering if you continue to take part in this.
His book is titled “ZOV” in Russian, after one of Putin’s military vehicles.