Putin’s leaders ‘force troops to dig in cages to get drunk or refuse to fight’

The Defense Ministry said that Russian commanders would likely punish the soldiers by forcing them to dig cages in the ground.

In its daily intelligence update Sunday, the Defense Department said troops will likely face makeshift cells as a form of punishment for actions such as getting drunk or refusing to fight in the Ukraine war.

She added that the so-called “zindans” consist of holes in the ground “covered with a metal net”. The Defense Department said in the statement that it had heard multiple reports of the use of the zindan.

She said: “In recent months, Russian commanders have likely begun to punish offenses by detaining offending troops in “zindans,” primitive cells consisting of holes in the ground covered with metal mesh.

“Multiple recent reports from Russian employees provide similar accounts of being put in jail for misdemeanors including drunkenness and attempting to terminate their contracts.”

The MoD added: “In the early months of the war, many Russian commanders took a relatively light touch in enforcing discipline, allowing those who refused to be drafted into servicemen to quietly return home.

“Since fall 2022, there have been several increasingly rigorous initiatives to improve discipline in the force, particularly since Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov assumed command of the operation in January 2023.”

The zindan is an ancient technique of punishment and a kidnapper can be denied food or supplies while humiliatingly left in plain sight.

This comes as President Vladimir Putin cracks down on his critics and opponents in Russia.

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has seen the full force of punishment awaiting critics.

Navalny initially received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for violating parole, but was sentenced last year to nine years in prison for fraud and contempt of court, and is serving time 250 kilometers east of Moscow.

While imprisoned, Mr. Navalny spent months in a small one-person cell, also known as a “punishment cell,” for alleged abuses such as an alleged failure to wear a prison robe properly, properly present himself to a guard or wash his face at a set time.

His supporters accused the prison authorities of failing to provide him with proper medical assistance, of using a bright light in his cell, and of placing him next to a mentally unstable person.

Meanwhile, Gleb Karakolov, an officer in Putin’s secret personal security service, defected from the Russian military in October.

Now safely away from Russia, he gave an interview earlier this month encouraging his former colleagues to resist the president.

In a speech to the Russian officers, he said in a video clip: “What is happening now [with the war in Ukraine] It is beyond pale, and defies logic,” he said. “You should not follow criminal orders and serve this war criminal, Vladimir Putin.”

He added, “You have information that is not shown on TV. I have only seen part of it. Come forward and support me with more evidence. You will learn the truth.”

Once a charismatic leader, he said, the Russian president is now increasingly isolated and does not use a cell phone or the Internet, but insists on access to Russian state television wherever he goes.