A shot in the leg, the purchase of a certificate of incapacity on the Darkweb, the payment of a bridge pot for a military doctor to slide bursts of shells under the skin … the independent Russian-speaking media Meduza, Based in Latvia, documented in a long investigation the means implemented by the Russian soldiers under contract and the civilians mobilized to escape the front, while the war in Ukraine gets bogged down in its 1.261st day. And even if the investigation does not allow us to conclude a systemic trend within the Russian army, the determination of certain fighters to extract hell speaks volumes about its dysfunctions, according to the experts interviewed by 20 Minutes.
A “round trip”
“The Russian army is an extremely violent organization towards its own men,” recalls Stéphane Audrand, international risk consultant. Humiliation is systematic, in particular conscripts, there are physical punishment, assaults … “. “There is intrinsic violence that goes by getting worse,” abounds Ulrich Bounat, geopolitical analyst and associate researcher for the Think Tank Euro creative.
However, military engagement is essentially mercantile in Russia, encouraged by the balance and the benefits promised to the soldier’s family. “You would think that after three years of war, the Russians know what to expect on the front line, but this is not the case everywhere, especially in certain remote oriental regions,” emphasizes this specialist in central Europe. Some do a short -term economic calculation, but when they discover the brutality of the fights, they want to come back. And that’s where it gets stuck. “For volunteers, it is almost a return trip because it is almost impossible to be demobilized before the end of the war,” points out Ulrich Bounat. For the researcher, this is also what can explain the mercenat in Russia: “Mercenaries have a date of start of deployment, and an end date. There is a possibility of return, even if there are not all the social benefits of the soldier integrated into the army. »»
“When you know that you cannot have legal means to escape horror, you try to escape thanks to medical incapacity,” adds Stéphane Audrand, who describes a “classic method” in the history of conflicts, already seen during the First World War for example. “The psychological wear of three years of war is unimaginable, but when in addition the army does not offer the group’s refuge …”, he analyzes.
“Mafiant society”
In his investigation, Meduza Also reveals the existence of well -established corruption mechanics which allow to escape fights with the support of military doctors or recruiters. “Until approximately 2024, it was possible to obtain its release thanks to a psychiatric hospital or a diagnosis of hepatitis, for example. This cost between 1.5 and 2 million rubles [environ 18.000 à 24.000 dollars] », Cites for example Nikolai, soldier interviewed in the article. “The phenomena of corruption in Russia, in general and in the army in particular, are historical and documented. War exacerbates them all the more, “supports Ulrich Bounat, who evokes the existence of” standard prices and known to all to avoid the first line for example or obtain permission “.
In some cases, aspiring deserters are sometimes victims of crooks. Or even fall into traps tense by Russian security services, and find themselves forced to re -engage. “The behaviors described in the survey form a fairly representative picture of what has become of the Russian Society of Vladimir Putin, that is an almost mafia company,” says Guillaume Ancel, former officer and war columnist, author of Little lesson on war (Otherwise), which highlights the “level of despair” of these soldiers who are ready to injure themselves rather than remaining fighting.
A “waterproof” media bubble
However, can these abandonments influence the Russian war machine, while territorial progressions are to the advantage of Moscow in recent months? “If the flood of volunteers were to decrease, and it was no longer enough to replace the losses, then the power would be facing a Cornelian dilemma: that of triggering a new phase of mobilization within the population and thus to expose themselves to instability”, imagines Ulrich Bounat.
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But it is still far from being the case. Already because the wounded are often returned to the front, but also because Vladimir Putin needs more to be destabilized, according to experts. “He is a KGB man, he knows the importance of communication and pays attention to his propaganda tool. All alternative media have been put out of play and social networks are not free, ”notes Guillaume Ancel. “For three years, the media bubble in which the Russian people have been plunged is very waterproof,” adds Stéphane Audrand, who however anticipates the difficulties to come. “The country is blocked in a forward flight which increases the population of traumatized soldiers. They will end up returning to Russian society, a weapon on the shoulder, after three years of unbridled violence. »»