“Storm-Z” detachments are used by the Russian army as penalty batons

The Reuters agency published an investigation about the Russian “Storm Z” units fighting in Ukraine, which are used in the most difficult areas of the front. As stated in the investigation, sending to these units became one of the methods of punishment for guilty servicemen. In fact, we are talking about an analogue of the penalty battalions that existed in the Red Army during World War II.

Reuters refers to 13 people familiar with the situation surrounding these units, including five of their fighters, as well as their family members. They all wished to remain anonymous.

“Storma fighters are just meat,” the agency quotes one of its interlocutors, a regular army soldier. He claims that the command in the battles near Bakhmut ordered the servicemen not to provide medical assistance to the wounded “Storm” soldiers, treating them as expendable material (according to the military, he violated the order, and the wounded were still helped).

The Russian military and pro-Kremlin mass media officially recognize the existence of the “Storm-Z” detachments, some even mention that they are formed, including through the recruitment of prisoners. However, Reuters claims that it was the first to collect evidence of the use of these detachments as analogues of penalty bats.

Among the crimes for which they are sent to the “Storm” detachments are the use of alcohol, drugs and refusal to follow orders. There are approximately 100-150 people in each of the detachments, they are part of larger units, they go to the most difficult areas of the front and, as a rule, bear the heaviest losses. One of Reuters’ interlocutors, recruited to the front from the colony, claims that only 15 out of 120 men survived in his detachment near Bakhmut in June.

Reuters notes that, unlike PMC “Wagner”, where prisoners were previously recruited, “Storm-Z” units are directly subordinated to the Ministry of Defense. The Russian military department did not respond to Reuters’ request.