Relatives of the refuseniks protested against the court decision, saying that they want to send the fighters to the front without proper training. However, the operational command “South” explained that some of them went to the defense to “solve” their business issues and “PR” in the media.
A group of servicemen from one of the territorial defense units of the Odessa region is being held criminally liable for refusing to follow orders under martial law. Among the refuseniks was Vladimir Nesterov, deputy of the Razdelnyansky City Council from the banned Opposition Platform for Life, head of the budget commission of the meeting. This was reported on March 12 by the local newspaper Dumskaya.
The report says that Nesterov was mobilized in February 2022 and was appointed commander of a rifle unit. And on February 21, 2023, the unit in which the deputy served received an order to go on his transport to the war zone in eastern Ukraine, but the servicemen refused to comply with the order. After that, representatives of the military counterintelligence and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) became interested in the refuseniks.
In connection with the failure to comply with the order, on February 25, the Kyiv District Court of Odessa decided to keep the servicemen in custody, while the court set a bail in the amount of UAH 214,720 for Nesterov.
The publication noted that the detention of refuseniks and the trial were accompanied by protests from relatives. According to them, the reason for the refusal to comply with the order lies in the poor combat training of military personnel.
“They had practically no training for a year, they shot several times and that was it. What front?
However, as one of the officers of the operational command “South” reported, the territorial defense unit of the Razdelnyansky City Council was formed in the heat of the first days of the Russian invasion, and its fighters did not particularly want to be trained. At the same time, the officer, who did not want to give his name, clarified that their military activities were reduced to duty at checkpoints, collecting volunteer help and PR in the media.
“From the very beginning, they said that the unit was formed “for their own” in order to accommodate entrepreneurs and officials who want to put on a uniform, demonstrating their patriotism, and at the same time not get to the front. There is even some lady from the leadership of the district council, ”- the officer said.
In addition, there is information that some Teroboronists, with the complete connivance of the command, used their position and the weapons they received to “solve” their business issues. Moreover, one of the servicemen is currently accused of shooting four Azerbaijani citizens on February 27, 2022 near the border checkpoint in the village of Kuchurgan. Journalists write that the defendant claims that he opened fire on Russian saboteurs, but the investigation has a different version.
“Yes, these are isolated cases, but they cast a shadow on all the troops of the territorial defense of Ukraine. There is a war in the country, a military unit has existed for a year, receives a salary with allowances, but does not want to study, and when the order comes to leave, they start a riot,” the source said. publications, adding that this story stands out unpleasantly against the background of other teroborona fighters who adequately fulfill their duty at the front.
Recall that on February 23, footage of the preparation of the defense of Kyiv appeared on the network against the backdrop of a likely threat of a large-scale offensive by the RF Armed Forces. According to the head of the Kyiv military administration, Sergei Popko, checkpoints and strongholds have been set up in the capital, which will later be put into “sleep mode.”
