WASHINGTON: Russia is executing soldiers who don’t follow orders in its bloody new offensive in eastern Ukraine, while suffering “significant” losses of armour and personnel, the White House said Thursday.
“We have information that the Russian military has been actually executing soldiers who are refusing to follow orders,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a briefing.
“We also have information that Russian commanders are threatening to execute entire units if they seek to retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire,” he added.
“It’s reprehensible.”
Kirby did not give further details when asked about the alleged executions or how the United States had obtained the information.
Russia said Friday that it killed a suspected Ukrainian spy and shut down two pro-Kyiv online outlets during an operation in the occupied part of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Since seizing control of large swathes of Ukraine last year, Russia has claimed to have foiled repeated acts of alleged sabotage as it tries to crack down on pro-Ukrainian resistance among the local population.
“As a result of a special operation in the territory of Zaporizhzhia region, the FSB suppressed the activities of three large agent groups coordinated by Ukrainian intelligence,” the FSB security service said in a statement.
One man it suspected of working for Ukrainian intelligence was killed in a gunfight during the operation, the FSB said, without providing further details.
The administrators of a pro-Ukrainian chat room and a media outlet in the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol were detained, it added.
In a separate incident, the FSB said Thursday that it had killed a Ukrainian-born man on Russian soil who was plotting to blow up a military recruitment office.
Russia has stepped up attacks near the town of Avdiivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and the northeastern city of Kupyansk in a bid to move the front line forward before winter.
Moscow has suffered “significant losses” in the offensive including at least 125 armoured vehicles and “thousands” of casualties, Kirby said.
“The Russian military appears to be using what we would call human wave tactics,” he said. “It is unsurprising that Russian forces are suffering from poor morale.”
Moscow said Friday that it intercepted a Ukrainian drone attack targeting a nuclear power plant in a Russian border region, adding there had been no damage on the facility.
Both Kyiv and Moscow are attempting dozens of overnight drone strikes every week in a bid to hit targets behind the frontlines.
“On the evening of October 26, an attack by three enemy unmanned aerial vehicles on the Kursk nuclear power plant was stopped. It did not affect the operation of the station,” the press service of the Kursk nuclear plant, which is close to Russia’s border with Ukraine, said in a statement on social media.
Radiation levels around the plant were at normal levels and power generators were working, it added.
Russia’s defence ministry said Thursday night its air defence forces had intercepted a Ukrainian drone over the Kursk region, but made no mention of the nuclear plant.
Ukraine’s air force said Friday morning it had shot down five Russian drones overnight.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said eight firefighters were injured in a missile attack on a fire station in the city of Izyum in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian officials also reported shelling in the southern Mykolaiv region and drone attacks on the frontline region of Kherson.
The United States on Thursday announced a new $150 million (141 million euro) military assistance package for Ukraine that includes artillery and small-arms ammunition as well as anti-tank weapons.
Washington is by far Kyiv’s biggest donor of security aid, committing $43.9 billion since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US for the military assistance in a post on social media.
“As winter approaches, strengthening air defense is critical to protect Ukrainian cities and infrastructure,” Zelensky said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I appreciate our agreements with President (Joe) Biden being implemented,” he added.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.