Putin Called Out Over Deliberate Extermination of Russian Troops

More than 100 relatives of Russian troops have signed an appeal to President Vladimir Putin demanding he do something about the suspected “deliberate extermination” of draftees outside Donetsk.

The troops, from the Western Military District, have been living in the trenches near the decimated Ukrainian city of Avdiivka for 10 months under constant shelling, the families said, according to iStories, which obtained a copy of the appeal. And those who are injured have not been allowed to leave. Instead, the families said, an order came down for those with moderate injuries to join assault units, which is often a death sentence.

The families say they believe the men are knowingly being sent to their deaths so the Kremlin can report progress on the battlefield at Putin’s annual press conference on Dec. 14.

“They are rushing, while Ukrainians are in a bad spot, and racing for [Putin’s] live phone-in and the New Year. Everyone is saying that we’ll take Avdiivka and then have negotiations,” the wife of one of the soldiers told iStories.

“We’re telling Putin to count the personnel: how many [men] are actually there, and not according to military IDs, and what is in the reports. My husband says they are walking on corpses there, it’s just littered with them.”

Russian forces began storming Avdiivka in mid-October in a bid to take control of the town, which is just 12 miles from Russian-controlled Donetsk but is still under Ukrainian control. The town has been completely decimated by fighting, with no buildings left intact, according to Ukrainian authorities.

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