‘They’re walking over dead bodies. They’re strewn everywhere’

Families of conscripts have written to Russian President Vladimir Putin to describe how servicemen are being sent to a “bloodbath” in Avdiivka, a town in the occupied Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, independent Russian news outlet iStories has reported, providing excerpts from the joint letter.

The letter explains how servicemen have been living in the trenches on the battle lines, 700 metres from Avdiivka, for almost a year, and are coming under constant fire. The authors of the letter claim that last month, Russian military command ordered fighters with only moderate injuries be sent to assault units. This, they say, is due to the Russian army hoping to capture Avdiivka before the live call-in event with Russian President Vladimir Putin to be televised later this month.

“There was a new decree issued on 25 November for soldiers with minor and moderate injuries to complete their recovery in the trenches … They’re in a hurry while the Ukrainians are in disarray and want quick results before [Putin’s televised] call-in and the New Year. Everyone is saying if we take Avdiivka, there’ll be [peace] talks,” the wife of one conscript said.

Initially, servicemen from the unit in question, 95411, served in the occupied Donetsk region as part of the territorial defence, but were then transferred to the 1st Army Corps. In their appeal to the president, the conscripts’ relatives emphasise that no conscripts “signed anything in that regard”.

Russian forces launched their assault on Avdiivka in October, at which point the city was surrounded by territory that had come under Russian control.