An interesting thesis was voiced by former Russian Army officer Yevgeny Korobov about the war in Ukraine: according to him, Ukrainian servicemen have one enemy — Russian soldiers — while Russian servicemen have two enemies: Ukrainian troops and their own command. Korobov claims that, to save himself and his subordinates during what he describes as a senseless order — “to return to the unit… a piece of plastic,” meaning a UAV/drone — he was forced to shoot himself and his soldiers in the legs so they would not be sent to certain death. Overall, he believes that someone with moral principles and even “at least a minimal level of intelligence” has nothing to do in the Russian army. As he puts it:
“If there’s a chance to retreat, to pull back, anything like that—then of course, pull back. <…> Not like: we’ll charge straight ahead for the Motherland, for Putin, for all this nonsense. No, of course not. The main task is to save your soldiers. I don’t support this war. I never supported it. And I didn’t support the authorities either.”
After the start of the “SVO,” Kazakhstan became one of the main destinations for Russians leaving the country without foreign passports — including Russian servicemen who fled the front. (https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/3857) One of them, Yevgeny Korobov, now lives in Astana and explains why a person Russian television portrayed as a “hero” decided to desert.
Korobov says he entered the Ryazan Airborne School in 2013, but after graduating he encountered, in his words, corruption and incompetence that had become routine in the army:
“If you’re truly capable, a competent officer with strong moral and professional qualities, genuinely a worthy example for soldiers — really for any person — you don’t need to stay in the army; leave. If you’re a useless fool who’s also some kind of scoundrel, or someone inclined to crime — then stay.”
In early 2022 he was sent to the Kursk region and then to the combat zone. He recalls that until the very last moment many did not believe war was possible. Korobov emphasizes that he did not support the “SVO” and that his main priority was to keep his soldiers alive. As one sign of preparations, he mentions being issued painkillers:
“They handed out Promedol to each of us to keep on us — a narcotic painkiller. In all my years of service they had never issued narcotics. And still, until the last moment, we hoped it would all stop.”
For participation in combat he received the medal “For Courage,” though he personally considers it meaningless:
“I don’t give a damn — what difference does it make… No, but for what? Is it nice to be praised for an invented feat? Or what for? For a war I didn’t want to take part in?”
He also says that to avoid the possible death of personnel while carrying out what he calls a senseless task — searching for and returning a cheap lost drone — he deliberately wounded himself and his fighters. After that they were evacuated, and command was told they had come under enemy fire. Korobov called what happened “idiocy.”
After the injury, he was invited onto the TV show “Let Them Talk,” but he says he immediately warned them he would speak the truth about the war. In the autumn of 2022 he managed to leave Russia for Kazakhstan with the help of volunteers, including the group “Go to the Forest.” He also spoke about the low level of supplies (https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/4342) and claims Russian soldiers often have to equip themselves at their own expense:
“You go to the front, take out a loan to buy yourself some gear.”
Source: Telegram channel “NE ZHDI khoroshikh novostei” — https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/4362