Investigative journalists managed to find out what happened to the Russian marines of the 155th brigade, who complained to the governor of the region where the military unit is based that they were destroyed after being sent to an “incomprehensible” battle, Jellyfish reports.

“The command made a decision to withdraw the brigade from Pavlivka. We were all very happy, but not for long. Not everyone will be taken out,” one of the fighters from a unit of Mediazon, a Russian investigative website that operates outside Russia to avoid Kremlin censorship, said on condition of anonymity.

“Those who were most indignant, who wrote a letter and refused to advance, remain in their positions and continue, and those who did not enter into a conflict with the command will be taken to the rear for rotation,” the marine added.

It will be recalled that earlier in November, an open letter from marines of the 155th brigade of the Pacific Fleet went viral on Russian social networks and Russian Telegram channels after they complained that they were destroyed during the battle, which, according to them, was initiated by their commanders earn bonuses and medals.

Shortly after their letter was widely shared by well-known Russian military bloggers who have hundreds of thousands of followers on Telegram, a video showing artillery strikes by marines also appeared on social networks of Ukrainians in the village of Pavlivka, Donetsk region.

The Russian marines were thrown into an incomprehensible battle in Donetsk

In their letter, the Marines asked Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Primorye Oblast, Russia’s Pacific region, where the unit is based, to launch an independent investigation by the Russian Defense Ministry into why they were sent to attack.

The Russian military claimed to have lost 300 men in just 4 days of fighting, the unit suffered more casualties than in both Chechen wars in which it participated.

One of the reasons their message went viral on Russian social media was that the attack really appeared without any clear military objective, taking place almost 150 kilometers from the city of Bakhmut, where the main Russian offensive from Donetsk is heading. region.

Governor Kozhemiako, however, rejected their accusations, saying that the information on social networks about the damage caused was “greatly exaggerated”.

“The response to the letter was not what we expected. We thought the command would change tactics,” said a marine quoted by Mediazona, adding that troops who refused to attack could face criminal charges.

According to him, the marines are still feeling the effects of the governor’s call.

Moscow’s elite military is considering the possibility of desertion

“[Autoritățile] I don’t draw conclusions, I just punish. I think they want to completely destroy all the unacceptable people, and during the hostilities it is not a problem, but very easy,” he reports.

“People are thinking of defecting and I understand them and I am thinking how to do it myself,” the quoted source said, adding that “I have always served the country sincerely and used to condemn it (no defections), but now this is probably the only way to save your life.”

Despite the footage appearing on social media, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied the Marine Corps’ version of events, saying in a press release that the 155th Brigade lost less than 1% of its combat capability, and only 7% of the unit’s fighters were destroyed. wounded in battle.

The marines asked Kozhemyako to start an investigation independent of the Ministry of Defense, because, according to them, one of the commanders who sent them into battle is a personal protégé of the chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

Follow the latest events of the 273rd day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.