Elite Russian soldiers bemoan suicide squad and criticize commanders

Kyiv A brigade of Russian marines lost “about 300 men in four days” in fighting for the village of Pavlivka in the Donetsk region. Members of the 155th Marine Infantry Brigade from Vladivostok wrote this in a letter to the governor of the eastern Russian province of Primorsky Krai, Oleg Koshemyako. The authenticity of the letter has not yet been independently verified; However, the content fits with current reports by Russian bloggers from the front in Donbass.

The soldiers are dead, wounded or missing, the letter says. In the letter, the soldiers describe the offensive on the small town as “incomprehensible” and accuse their commanders of only being interested in glory and awards – and risking the lives of their soldiers to do so.