A Russian fighter has gone public with his complaints of exhaustion and fighting conditions in eastern Ukraine as the war shows no signs of abating.
One soldier who had fought near Kyiv, Kharkiv and is now in eastern Ukraine, complained to the Guardian of his desperate exhaustion.
Andrei, who serves with the 37th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade headquartered in Buryatia in Siberia, said he had even contacted a lawyer to find out whether his deployment to the front is even legal.
He also complained that he had not seen his wife for months.
“I have been fighting in Ukraine since the start of the war, it has been over three months now," Andrei said.
"It is exhausting, my whole unit wants a break, but our leadership said they can’t replace us right now."
Unconfirmed Ukrainian reports place Russia's losses after three months of the war at 1300 tanks, over 3000 armoured vehicles, 600 artillery pieces and close to 30,000 troops.
There have been reports that Russia is finding it difficult to rotate out its exhausted troops and in another sign of defeat, the maximum conscription age has been scrapped.
Michael Kofman and Rob Lee wrote in their new analysis of Russia’s armed capabilities that the Kremlin's army is poorly designed for a "sustained occupation, or a grinding war of attrition, that would require a large share of Russia’s ground forces, which is exactly the conflict it has found itself in."
They continued: "The Russian military doesn’t have the numbers available to easily adjust or to rotate forces if a substantial amount of combat power gets tied down in a war.”
Fighters from Russian-controlled east Ukraine also went public with their complaints about poor conditions
“Our personnel have faced hunger and cold,” said fighters from the Russian-controlled 113th regiment from Donetsk in one video posted online.
They continued: “For a significant period, we were without any material, medical or food support. Given our continuous presence and the fact that amongst our personnel there are people with chronic medical issues, people with mental issues, many questions arise that are ignored by the higher-ups at headquarters.”
Andrei said that the three months of fighting feel longer than the four years he spent serving in the army during peacetime.
He said: “I have already contacted a lawyer online who told me that by law the general can keep us here until our contract runs out so there isn’t much we can do.”
Another soldier loyal to President Vladimir Putin's government said he believes their mobilisation was done unlawfully, without medical certification.
He claimed to be serving in Donetsk’s 107th regiment and said: "Over 90% have never fought before and saw a Kalashnikov for the first time. We were thrown onto the frontlines.”
Russian deaths are mounting as the battle for Donbas rages on, with Ukraine killing one colonel of war every two days.
The British Ministry of Defence said in the first three months of the war, Russia has likely suffered "a similar death toll to that experienced by the Soviet Union during its nine-year war in Afghanistan."
