"Allegations of Frontline Violence: Russian Soldiers Forced to Rape Each Other, Report Reveals"
Russian soldiers on the Ukraine front line are reportedly facing brutal extrajudicial punishments, including being forced to rape each other, tied to trees, and thrown into pits naked. The independent Russian news outlet Verstka interviewed soldiers who described brutal conditions, with troops recruited from prisons abusing mobilized soldiers while commanders remain safely away from the front. The soldiers also claimed that wounded soldiers are stitched up and sent back to fight, and the bodies of their dead comrades are often left to rot around them. The Russian army has suffered heavy casualties throughout the war, with some analysts describing their use of "human wave" tactics, and the Kremlin setting up "Storm Z" units, including convicted criminals, to go into combat in exchange for time off their sentences.